Mike Malonino
by SandyLee Potts
Summary: This is a Back-story for one of my characters. Connor Temple's twin brother Mike. Here we look into his character and see what makes him tick, hopefully we will see more of a change in Grumpy Mike, and will find out why he is the way he is. Mike has now changed his name... Mike Temple.
1. Chapter 1

_**Mike Malonino**_

_Hi there, to all my readers, I wonder how many of my regular readers are following this tale._

_This one is slightly different from my usual. It is set in the Primeval Verse, I did have this in the Cross-over section, but a few of my regular readers wanted me to change it, so here goes, I hope you like it._

_It follows Connor's brother and will feature a back-story for Mike Malonino. You might want to Google some of the cast – My OC's are all Bollywood actors, and whilst I have used actors, the Characters I have created all belong to me._

_(In no particular order,) Characters will be- _

_**Mike Malonino - Andrew Lee Potts **_

_**Connor Temple - Andrew Lee Potts**_

_**Abby Maitland - Hannah Spearritt **_

_**Jyoti Patel - Katrina Kaif**_

_**Captain Becker - Ben Mansfield**_

_**James Lester - Ben Miller**_

_**Matt Anderson - Kieran McMenamin**_

_**Emily Merchant - Ruth Bradley**_

_**Jess Parker - Ruth Kearney**_

_**Samira Khan - Aishwarya Rai**_

_**Tariq Khan - John Abraham**_

_**Mohammed Khan - Kadar Khan**_

_**Dr Suresh Patel - Suresh Oberoi**_

_**Vijay Patel - Zayed Khan**_

_**Aamir Khan - **__**Abhishek **__**Bachchan**_

_**Auntie Meena - Reema Lagoo**_

_**Auntie Sangita - **__**Archana Puran Singh**_

_**Bertie Becker - Jamie Murray**_

* * *

_Story so far... (See story - Trouble with Connor Temple)_

_Mike and Connor are twins; he was kidnapped by Helen Cutter the day he was born. She left him at an orphanage where he was brought up by a Nun by the name of Sister Mary; she christens him Michael after the local Church – St Michaels. As he grows up, his temper leads him into trouble, and he earns the surname Malonino - Spanish for Bad Boy._

_As he grows up, he is passed from pillar to post, from family to family, until high school, where he makes friends with a Muslim boy – Tariq. Tariq's family take Mike in, and he becomes a regular visitor._

_Later in life he meets Helen Cutter again, who sets him up to replace Connor at the ARC. Mike goes in causing trouble, as per Helen's instructions, in the process, he tries to rape Abby, and he upsets Bella the new vet so much that she leaves. Danny realises what is going on and he releases Connor from his prison, there is a showdown at the ARC, and Mike is found out and he is sent to prison for three years. He learns about Connor, Matt and the circumstances around his own family and upbringing. _

_Part of his parole condition is that he has to serve under Becker, as a soldier, until his sentence is over. Working at the ARC, gives Mike a purpose in life, and he starts saving lives – Jess in particular, feels indebted that he saved not only her life, but Becker's too._

_The team learn that a meteorite is going to collide with the Earth; the large comet is the reason behind the Earth being overrun with Predators. The ARC team are sent into space where the mission is to deflect the meteor into the sun where it is burnt to cinders. Mike is nearly killed in the mission, but Becker manages to save his life._

_We join our intrepid heroes as they return from their mission; they are on a plane flying back from America._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Mike Malonino**_

_**Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, I have just borrowed the characters for a little while.**_

_**Thanks go to Mrs A for the cultural information contained within, she gave me a lot of details with dos and don't and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. **_

_**This story will follow Mike, but certain things are not true for ALL Muslims who follow the faith, and please do not take this as the truth. **_

_**Please remember that Not all Muslims are bad, and a lot of them are peaceful, good natured people.**_

* * *

_**Chapter 1**_

Connor rubbed his eyes and he stretched as he yawned, he was tired. He sighed as he watched Mike, his twin at the back of the aeroplane. He and the team had successfully destroyed a meteorite that would have collided with the earth causing worldwide destruction. He was pleased that his brother had made it home safely. More than once, Connor had thought that his sibling would die in space never to return. He smiled, Danny had been the one to talk sense into him. He had told Mike that he knew his girlfriend, and that she was being treated badly by her husband. He didn't have to be told to know that this; was the one thing that made Mike change his mind. He had felt it. He had always felt his brother's strongest emotions; he even wondered why Mike could not feel his. He looked around him; taking in everyone as they spoke with their respective partners.

Matt had his arm around Emily, chatting away. Danny and Bertie were holding hands smiling at each other. Becker and Jess had fallen asleep in each other's arms. He looked down at his own fiancé, and wondered when the time would be right for them to get married. He smiled as Abby slept with little Luke in her arms. Luke was nearly two years old now, and he had his mother's hair, but his eyes were the same shade and shape as his.

He looked across to Mike, sitting at the back of the aircraft, all alone, his gruff appearance and demeanour usually frightened everyone away, and he noticed how even the air hostesses would scurry past him quickly. Slowly he made his way over to him.

Connor noticed Mike look up at him and saw him start to put his wallet away. He had been staring at the photo in his wallet again.

"Do you mind if have a look?" Connor asked. His eyes pleaded for him to share, to share in his pain.

Slowly Mike retrieved his wallet and passed it to Connor.

"Wow! She's beautiful!" He commented, looking down at the picture of an Asian girl. He looked across to his brother again.

"You know, I can tell that you miss her... I can feel it too." Connor closed his eyes for a moment. Opening them, he asked the one question he had wanted to ask for years. This time he wanted to know.

"Please, tell me about Sam. I have let you hold this back for years, not anymore." He shook his head. "I want to know." He raised his eyebrows, begging him to share.

Mike looked at his watch and sighed heavily, they had plenty of time, and he owed it to Connor to tell him.

Nine years had passed since the event, and a lot had happened since. Most of it was painful, the loss of Samira, the death of Sister Mary, and his incarceration for something he didn't do, and how he had turned to a life of crime because of it. He sighed heavily and remembered how he had met Helen Cutter, how she had enticed him with the promise of lots of money if he could halt the ARC's proper function, more money if he could destroy it.

A sadness returned to his eyes as he recounted his sordid past. He hoped that he could change all of that now. He only had a month to go of his parole and then he would be free. Free to do as he wished, maybe even leave the ARC.

Now, as he gazed out of the window, he let his mind wander down memory lane.

* * *

**Summer 2005**

_Mike stood next to Mohammed Khan, he was teaching him everything he knew about engineering._

_Mohammed Khan was a short, rotund man; he was in his fifties and had a moustache and silver hair. His son Tariq was Mike's best friend at school and now that Tariq and his friend had left, prepared to teach them his trade. Mohammed was a very good mechanic and operated his own garage on the outskirts of London._

_Mike had been staring at the engine of a Vauxhall Astra for the last half hour and he could not figure out what was wrong and why the engine was not turning over and starting. He heard the gentle tap of sandals approaching, and knew that Mohammed's 16-year-old daughter had brought him his lunch. "Where's Baba?" she asked in her sweet voice. She stood next to Mike as he leaned over the engine. He stood up too quickly, and he banged his head on the open hood of the car. Rubbing his head, he turned to look at the young lady in front of him. She had left her long, almost black hair loose today and she smiled as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. She was wearing a very pretty, pale blue shalwar kameez. The trousers were figure hugging and he could make out the shape of her legs as she strode across the garage to her father's empty office._

_"He's taken the Civic out for a spin, testing the brakes. He'll be back in a minute. Why don't you leave his lunch in his office?" She smiled and turned away, sauntering into the little cabin that was her father's office. Mike turned to stare the engine._

_Suddenly he heard her scream. He dropped his wrench and ran to her side. She was shaking and her lightly tanned skin had gone very pale._

_"What's wrong? What happened?"_

_She took short, sharp breaths, and she was shaking from head to toe. Samira pointed with a shaky finger to a big, fat, hairy, spider that sat on her father's desk._

_He huffed out a breath. He couldn't believe that she was scared of an insect the size of a two-pound coin. Grinning he slapped a heavy manual on top of it, squashing the arachnid._

_"There, gone... It's dead now!" His smile began to fade as he looked at the girl standing next to him. She was still shaking, and her hyperventilating had become worse._

_Mike became concerned. "Samira... Samira!"_

_Her eyelashes fluttered, and moments later, she had fainted in his arms._

_He tried shaking her awake and he began to panic. What was Tariq's father going to say when he got back? His insides twisted into knots as he heard the unmistakeable sound of a car pulling up. Moments later Mohammed and his son Tariq strolled into the workshop._

_"Tariq Tariq! Come quickly! It's your sister, she's fainted!" Mike shouted at the top of his lungs, hopefully his dad would understand._

_"Tariq - Pani! Quickly get some water!" He splashed some water on his daughters face and she slowly came round._

_Mike blew out the unconscious breathe he had been holding, as she opened her eyes, it was then he noticed the colour of her eyes... His heart missed a beat. He looked again at her, but differently, she was truly beautiful, and it was only now that he was noticing her._

_Talking to his friend Tariq, he was told that she suffered from Arachnophobia. A fear of spiders. After that, he always noticed when Samira was in or near the workshop. She would always smile coyly at him as he worked, and he would catch her eye and wink at her. She would flick her hair back, long, straight, dark hair that shone in the sunlight, and her brilliant smile lit up the room._

_Every so often, she would bring her friend around with her. Her friend, Jyoti, had short, dark, unruly hair, she was short and tubby, had lots of acne, and she still wore braces. They would tease him as he worked, one time laughing at him. He had been thoroughly confused at the reason for their laughter, but had realised later, when he tried to turn the ignition of the car he was working on, he looked into the rear view mirror and it was then he noticed the huge smear of grease that started on his nose and ended by his left ear._

_His boyish charm had worked wonders on those around him and the bond between his employer's family and he strengthened. Six months later, he had been working on the underside of the car, laying flat on his back, his body half underneath the car, with only his legs sticking out. Samira was sat in her father's office; she was talking with Jyoti. Tariq and his father were talking to Jyoti's father, he had been having problems with his car and he had brought in for repair._

_Suddenly, the car jack collapsed, Mike screamed in agony as the entire weight of the car came down upon him._ _Three men rushed to his aid lifting the car between them, whilst Jyoti pulled at his legs._

_After what seemed in age, they managed to haul him out to safety. Samira begged her father to let her stay with him as he was rushed into hospital. Mohammed was not happy at this and sent Tariq to stay at Mike's side. Fortunately, Mike had not broken any bones, his ribs were badly bruised, and he was ordered to stay off from work for at least two weeks. Mohammed was fully aware that there was non-one at home to look after him, and he insisted that Mike stay with them at their family home where he would be looked after._

_Sharing a room with Tariq was easy enough; the two boys had been friends for a very long time, having struck up a friendship at high school. _

_Tariq and his cousin had been caught up in a spot of bother with a large group of older boys who saw Tariq as an outsider with his dark skin. They were outnumbered and were taking rather a big beating. Mike had come to their aid, and having fought off the other boys, he and Tariq became the best of friends. They became so close that they could have been brothers. Mohammed would not hear of Mike going anywhere else with his injury, and he and his wife welcomed Mike warmly._

_Everyday Samira would bring him his breakfast and whilst Tariq would ensure he was comfortable before they left for work and school. Tariq would come in later, with lunch, and massage his aching chest, and back. He would change his bandages and leave him to rest until Samira came home. Sam would then take him his evening meal and chat with him whilst she did her homework._

_Quickly, Mike learned of the Khan household operated, he found out that, although they were not strict Muslims, they would still abide by some of the rules according to their religion. How they would wake very early every day for prayers, how the women folk were not allowed to tend to his injuries or touch him, or to sit with the men whilst they ate, things that Mike found weird. He would always sit down to meals with a jug of water by his side, as they were so spicy that he would need a full three glasses of water to finish. Soon his palate adjusted and he found himself drinking less and less water._

_It wasn't long afterwards that Mike began feeling better, and he returned to work. Mohammed still insisted that he join them for meals and he became a regular visitor at the Khan home._

_One evening Mike and Tariq returned from the garage to find Samira in the kitchen. She had a large bowl of flour in front of her, and she was mixing something. Mike and Tariq peered closely._

"_What are you doing?" Tariq asked._

"_Mum's not well, I'm making dinner." She replied, trying to move a strand of hair away from her face, and transferring flour to it. _

"_Yeah, I can see that! What are you making?" Tariq teased._

_Samira huffed. "Roti!" _

_Tariq looked at Mike and they smirked at her._

"_Don't know about you but I'm going out for a KFC... Coming?" Tariq grinned at his friend._

"_Yeah," Mike grinned back at his friend, but he could not help but notice the look on Samira's face. He had hurt her feelings and the knowledge did not sit well with him. _

_That evening, Mike went with his friends to the KFC, but did not join them with their meal; instead, he went back to the Khan house and sat down to dinner with his boss. He ate the meal that Sam had so diligently prepared, and although the food wasn't as tasty as usual, he ate, gazing at her as he did so. _

_She knew by the way he looked at her; that he was eating to please her. That he wanted to eat a meal prepared by her, and she was thrilled that he had made a special effort just for her. _

* * *

_Mohammed needed a mechanic who could drive; and he set about teaching Mike. He learned quickly, and he passed his test first time. It didn't take long for Mike to realise that Mohammed loved his only daughter and every day he would arrange to have someone pick her up from school. Very soon, he too was trusted enough to pick up Samira from various locations. For the first week, he picked her up and dropped her straight home. _

* * *

_Mike huffed; he was running late, he should have been waiting for Samira ten minutes ago. She would have now left school and be walking home._

_He looked along the pavement, looking out for her when he spotted her. She had her head down and she seemed upset. She walked along with her friend Jyoti, and she too looked upset. Mike frowned and then he heard why the girls weren't happy. There was a group of boys behind them mercilessly teasing._

_Mike stopped the car and he gestured to Sam and Jo to get in. He turned to the four boys._

"_You got a problem lads?"_

"_Samira's got a boyfriend..." One of the boys sang in a ridiculous voice._

_Mike became angry and in a flash, he had punched the boy; breaking his nose. The other boys tried to hold him down but they were only teenagers, and Mike was older and stronger._

_Soon all four boys lay in a heap on the ground._

"_You leave those girls alone! If I ever hear that you've been nasty to them, or saying things about them, I'll come back and I'll finish what I've started!" He growled at them and then stomped to his car and sped off._

_He looked at Samira and Jyoti in his rear view mirror as they sat in the back. Both girls were crying._

"_Where do you want me to take you Sam?"_

"_Take us to the garage; I need to speak to dad." She sobbed._

"_Won't your Dad be angry?"_

"_I need to speak to Dad."_

_At the garage, Sam's father had not been pleased when Samira told him of what happened. Mike could see that he was very angry, not at Samira, but at the boys who had teased his only daughter._

"_I wouldn't worry, I sorted them out, they won't be bothering Sam again."_

"_Thank you Beta," Mohammed approached him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder. Mike looked at Tariq questioningly. _

"_Beta?" He mouthed._

"_Beta means Son." Tariq whispered. _

_Mike smiled. "It's OK... I'll... I'll just take Jyoti home now if that's OK?"_

_Jyoti smiled, not one of her brightest smiles, but she smiled. She was always conscious of the braces on her teeth; coupled with the acne on her face she was always sensitive about her appearance. _

_Jo sat alongside him in the front; and she felt grateful to him for what he had done._

"_Thank you, for helping us back there." A sadness appeared in her eyes and for the first time Mike looked over to her. There was something bothering her and he could tell. He pulled over to a suitable place and turned to face her._

"_What's wrong?" He questioned. He was stunned as slowly she began to cry. "Jo, what happened today?"_

"_It's my fault! It was all my fault." Mike pulled a rag from his pocket, and gave it to her. Unaware of how dirty it was. She used it to wipe her face smearing it with grease. _

_Mike winced and looked around the car for something cleaner. Eventually he found some tissues in the glove compartment. Smiling he reached over and wiped the grease off her cheek._

_It was then that he noticed her eyes. Beautiful, clear, brown eyes, the colour of a very rich whiskey. He leaned closer, breathed in her delicate perfume and was about to kiss her when she moved away._

"_Sorry..." Mike felt bad, what had happened there?_

"_Sorry, my fault..." she paused and blinked. "I feel awkward... My braces."_

"_Oh..." Mike looked away, he was unsure of how she felt about him, she leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. _

"_Thank you. You stood up for me when nobody else would."_

_Mike smiled, he liked Jo but not in the same way as he liked Sam. He liked Sam a lot more, she was different; she had confidence, that showed in whatever she did. She was beautiful and knew what suited her; heck, she could make a potato sack look good!_

_Jyoti was also nice, she had a pleasant personality, and she always tried to look after those around her. Jo's father was a doctor and occasionally he would come and check on Mike to ensure he was ok and it seemed as if his daughter was going to follow his example._

* * *

_Tariq decided it was time his best friend joined in with something else. His cousin was involved with a gang. They would track the best cars, steal them, and sell them off. One night Tariq urged Mike to join them. Unbeknown to Mike he was being led down a path of no return. Tariq introduced him to his cousin, Aamir. He was introduced as being one of the best mechanics around. It didn't take long to teach him how to hotwire a car and soon he was able to do it very quickly. Unfortunately, the modern cars had the electric centralised locking system and they needed the actual keys before they could steal the cars._

_Mike watched as Tariq inserted a long pole with a hook on the end though someone's letterbox. His heart started beating faster and he began to get scared. What would happen if someone came along? What if, they were caught? Did Tariq's father know what they were doing?_

_He gasped; someone was coming. He began to whistle a tune, the action, a warning for Tariq to hide. A young couple strolled past Mike, as he stood nonchalantly whistling against a lamppost, his heart hammering in his chest._

_He stopped whistling, another sign, that the coast was clear. Tariq continued trying to hook the keys; Mike heard a whispered "Yes!" as he yanked the keys through the letterbox._ _Quickly he gave the keys to Mike, you take the car, and we'll meet up here! He gave him a slip of paper with an address upon it._

_Hastily Mike drove the car away, whilst Tariq hung around to ensure that the owners; did not wake and notice that their beloved car was gone and put in a call to the police. He joined Aamir, who was waiting in the distance._

_"He's a good guy to have around. Will he talk?" Aamir asked._

_"No, he's one of us!" Tariq grinned at his older cousin._

_Mike drove carefully, he didn't want to damage the car, that would only mean less money for it later, and he didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. His heart continued to pound in his chest and he almost stalled the car as he drove past two police cars. It would not do to be caught driving a stolen car!_

_Mike was shaking as he met up with Tariq. He grinned at his friend; they had done it – stolen a car! The adrenaline rush that he had was amazing, and Mike could not wait to do it again!_

"_How did you manage to get the keys?"_

"_Simple when you have the right tools!" _

"_Can you show me how to do it?" Mike almost bounced. Tariq grinned at his loyal friend._

"_Sure... Later this week, but you say nothing to Dad. He'll kill me if he finds out what we've been up to."_

_Over the coming weeks, Tariq taught Mike lots of things. How to pick someone's pocket without him or her noticing. How to open locked doors, how to retrieve a set of keys through a letterbox._

_Mike found it all exhilarating, and he would be paid handsomely for each car he stole. Paid for every credit card he could get his hands on. He smiled at the latest bundle of cash in his hand, soon he would be able to move out of his small, cramped flat, and move somewhere bigger._

_Money became his objective for doing anything and he quickly realised he was paid more for stealing top of the range cars, cars that were brand new. He watched as a Mercedes drove by, maybe he should concentrate on those._

_The next few weeks, he stole more and more cars, concentrating on the more expensive cars which he was paid handsomely for. Soon he had gathered enough cash to upgrade his tiny flat. _

* * *

Mike was jolted out of his memory by Matt and Danny coming to join them. Emily had fallen asleep and Bertie was chatting to her brother.

Mike had been lost... Engrossed with his memories.

"Go on, I'd like to hear too." Matt, his half-brother smiled. His Irish accent lifting his mood.

* * *

_Mike was happy and Sam continued to see him briefly on a daily basis. She would smile in his direction; it was unfortunate that Mike and Sam did not get the opportunity to be alone together, Tariq or his father, were always around. So Mike gave her a letter, one that explained how he felt about her, that he was falling in love with her._

_Then one morning Jo approached Mike with a letter in her hand._

"_You must read this," giving him the letter she disappeared. Little did he know; that the contents of the letter were going to lead him down a very different path, and he would only see Jo years later. Mike had been busy and leaned over the engine of a car. He loosely shoved the letter into the pocket of his overalls, meaning to read it later._

_Jo left quickly without even a backwards glance to join her friend._

"_Tariq! I'm going to the bank, zara workshop dekhna," Mohammed called to his son._

_Mike frowned he didn't understand what his boss had said. _

"_Yeah, I'll watch the workshop," Tariq responded, his reply translating his father's words._

_Tariq waited until his father had left the garage and then he strolled over to Mike. Wiping his greasy hands on a dirty rag._

"_Do you know what's wrong with Sam?"_

"_No, why?" Mike began to get worried. He stood up pulling himself up to his normal height._

"_Someone or something has upset her," Tariq snarled. "I swear if I find out which bastard has upset my sister he'll pay for it!" he growled._

_Uneasiness knotted in his stomach, he hoped he had not been the one to upset Sam._

"_What makes you think it's a he? Could be one of her girlfriends?"_

"_I doubt it..." He snorted. "It's got to be a bloke! I swear I'll kill him when I get my hands on him!"_

_Mike gulped; he had hoped that he would be able to approach his friend concerning a proper relationship with his sister._

"_Hey... You know Sam quite well... Tell me, has she got a boyfriend?" Tariq asked. The knot in Mike's stomach twisted even more._

"_Erm ... Not that I know of. Why? Is she not supposed to be seeing anyone?" Mike lied; and he began to sweat. Had he, unknowingly stepped over some cultural boundary? _

"_No, she's promised to someone back home." Mike felt as if someone had punched him in the gut._

"_WHAT?" He paused trying to get his head around this. "You mean she's having an arrange marriage?" Mike could not keep his surprised tone out of his voice. He felt that his world was collapsing around him._

"_Of course...!" Tariq looked over to his friend, unsure of what he was hiding. "Why... What's wrong?" Mike tried to compose himself quickly. He hadn't told Tariq about his feelings for his sister and now wondered if even telling him was a good idea. _

"_Nothing... I'm just surprised that's all... Whoa!" He huffed out a breath. "Arranged Marriage!" _

_He turned to his friend "When's she getting married? So who is he? Has she met him? What happens if she doesn't like him? Will you be having one?" Mike began to babble. _

_Arranged Marriage was not a concept that he was familiar with and the thought frightened him. The thought that he might have done something irreparable with Samira terrified him and the thought of losing her felt like a lead weight on his chest._

_Did Sam even know that she was to have an arranged marriage? His heart broke; she was betrothed to someone else, even before he had started. It was something he couldn't even share with his best friend. He pulled out a rag from his pocket. The letter that was loosely tucked in his pocket fell out onto the floor, and Mike just didn't see it. He was too shocked._

"_Her partner has been chosen... That's that!" Tariq replied tersely. Mike felt as if he'd been stabbed in the chest. Tariq bent down and picked something off the floor. Walking back to the office he left it on his father's desk._

"_You didn't answer my question... When?" _

"_When she finishes her studies of course!" _

_Mike went back to his work, he didn't want Tariq to see his face, didn't want his face to give away the truth behind how he was feeling. _

_Tariq walked back towards him... Wondering. "You ok?" He asked Mike._

"_Yeah, course I am!" Mike lied. He was far from it, his heart was breaking, he was losing the girl he loved, and he could not shake the feeling of despair. He needed to speak to Mohammed before it was too late. Before he lost Samira completely. _

"_It's not something that's widely talked about, is it?" Mike tried to sound uncaring. "Not something they teach you in school."_

_Tariq looked at his friend and he could tell that Mike was just shocked about his sister having an arranged marriage, and even though he had not spoken about it to his friend, he could tell he cared. Did he care for Samira THAT way? No, she wasn't his type._

"_What about you? Will you be having an arrange marriage?" Mike turned to face his friend again, his head still under the bonnet of the car he had been working on._

"_Not if I can help it!" _

_Mike stood up again. Turning to face his friend who was standing by the car, he was working on._

"_Oh, so It's ok for Sam to have an arranged marriage, but not for you?" _

"_I didn't mean it like that... Sam's a girl. She'll do as she's told. The boys well... We're allowed to be different." Mike frowned._

"_So you're allowed to choose your partner, but she's not?" Mike tried to get his head around this but was finding it hard. Why wasn't she allowed to choose her husband? _

"_Yeah, that's right." Tariq gazed at his incredulous friend. "Look that's just the way things are." _

_With that, he leaned down to finish his work. Mike watched for a moment; gathering his thoughts._

_This sounded unfair, Tariq was allowed to date and marry whomever he chose and Sam was not. _

"_So question for you... Don't take this the wrong way- it's just hypothetical. If Sam DID have a boyfriend, then what would happen?" Tariq turned to look at him._

"_I'm just asking. I'm interested that's all!" _

_Was he really interested? Or was he seeing Sam? Tariq stood up facing him. Did he have a crush on Sam? He didn't have a girlfriend, was Samira seeing him?_

"_You know what forget it, forget that I even asked." Mike sensed Tariq's change in mood; and he was not going to push him any further._

_Tariq gulped. His friend was right. It wasn't fair. He watched as his friend strode away. He really couldn't find a better match if he tried. Mike was a good man; and he'd certainly make Sam happy. Someday he would talk to his dad about Mike; he deserved to be part of a good family._

_"So, your hypothetical question - what if she did find someone she wanted to marry?" Tariq looked over to his friend, still wondering why was he asking all these questions? Cleaning his hands, he walked back to talk with Mike. He leaned against the car watching him._

_"Well, if she found someone? It's a difficult one. I mean she's already engaged, but if we took a hypothetical situation, she found someone that she wanted to be with, for example... Oh I dunno..." he looked pensive for a moment. "How about you? I mean hypothetically!"_

_Mike's mouth fell open, beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. He gulped. How much did Tariq actually know?_

_"Go on..."_

_"Well... You have to be Muslim, you'd have to convert and of course practice the faith."_

_"Convert? You mean become Muslim?" Mike looked at his friend incredulously. _

_The orphanage he had been brought up in had been attached to the church. He had been brought up as a Christian. He didn't attend church regularly, but he wasn't sure if he could follow a different religion._

_"Yeah, you see, it's important that any children are brought up following the faith."_

"_So let me get this right. IF Sam and I wanted to get married, which is not going to happen, but if I did want to, then I'd have to learn the language, because as a part of that I'd need to read the Koran and understand it, pray five times a day, and of course fasting during Ramadan." He blew out a breath. "It's a huge thing to undertake, I'm not sure I could do it!" He felt as if someone had put a mountain in front of him and he had to climb it in order to be with Sam. _

_"I need a drink... You want one?" Mike gulped._

_"Yeah go on."_

_Mike strolled over to the mini kitchen area. He as lost in thought as he pondered over what Tariq had just said._ _Could he change for Samira? Could he convert to a different religion? Could he practice the faith the way Tariq's family did. He wasn't sure._

_He began to berate himself. Oh, why did he have to fall in love with someone for whom he'd have to change his world? Mike turned as he heard Tariq walk up behind him._

_"You ok?"_

_"Yeah, just thinking,"_

_Up until now, Mike had been happy; he was meeting up with Sister Mary to tell her about Sam, only now he wasn't sure what he was going to tell her. Maybe seeing Sam wasn't such a good idea. He would have to change his views on religion for her and he wondered if he could do it for her, but each time that he thought about it the task became more and more gargantuan._

_-o-o-o-o-_

_Mohammed came back from the bank, he looked flushed, and he was sweating._

_"Beta, Tariq..."_

_"Baba, are you ok?" Tariq asked getting worried._

_"I'll be alright, peit mien dard hai,"_

_"You've got stomach ache? Go home get some rest. I'll lock up."_

_"Thank you beta, don't forget, Mr Hughes will pick up the Corsa at 3 o'clock."_

_"Yes dad."_

_With that, Mohammed picked up the mail on his desk, including one addressed to Mike, and he went home._

_-o-o-o-o-o-_

_That day Mohammed asked Mike to fetch his daughter from school. Mike grabbed his boss's keys and left immediately._

_He found Samira and Jyoti sitting on a wall outside their school gates. Samira was comforting Jo, whilst she sat crying. Mike wondered if she had been teased by those thugs again, and questioned her about them. She nodded miserably. They had been teasing her about her appearance yet again, and Jyoti felt insecure and upset, by their comments._

_Mike was about to go in search of these nasty boys, when Jo stopped him. She grabbed his arm, looking straight into his eyes; she urged him not become violent and set out after them. Mike looked into her eyes and noticed how they pleaded with him. Her beautiful eyes were all bloodshot and watery and he felt a jolt to his heart that he was not prepared for. He conceded and got ready to take the girls home. _

_He dropped Samira home first, and then he took Jo. He sat for a moment outside her home wanting to speak with her to make sure that she was no longer upset. She was sat in the front alongside him and she answered his questions quietly. He looked over at her when she smiled. She smiled properly this time._

"_No more braces?"_

"_Yeah, I had them removed yesterday." _

_He noticed how much better she looked. He gazed into her eyes, and noticed how much better she looked without her glasses, and she smiled genuinely. When he asked her about why she had been so upset, she reminded him that her mother had passed away recently and her Aunt's were meddling in her life. They sat in the car for a little while just chatting, Mike was enjoying his little talk with her, the way she chatted and talked was different to Sam, and Mike found that he enjoyed her company._

_Reluctantly he moved away. "You'd best go," he told her, his mind screamed, '_before I lose control completely!'

"_Mike, I must say this... thank you for listening, for being there when I needed someone." She chewed her lip and Mike could tell there was something more she wanted to say. If she didn't hurry up and say it quickly, he was going to kiss her. _

_Was he overstepping another cultural boundary? He knew Jo was not the same religion as Sam, she was Hindu, weren't they more or less the same? He wasn't sure and he didn't want to make things difficult for her._

"_I really like you; I mean that I __**really **__do like you." She emphasized her words. Was she saying...? Could she be saying that...? She couldn't mean...? Oh God, his heart stopped, she was telling him that she loved him. _

_She blinked, she didn't have to be told that Mike loved Samira, and he would never see her in any other way than just Samira's best friend. She stepped from the car, her eyes filling as she walked to her front door. Her hand shook as she inserted the key and went inside. Closing the door behind her, she wept. Wept because she had fallen for a man who did not love her the same way she loved him._

_Mike drove around the corner and had to pull over. What was he doing? He loved Samira! So why did he want kiss Jo? Where had these feelings for her originated? Why did he want to be with her? He mentally kicked himself. How did he end up in this mess? If he loved Samira, he would have to make his feelings known to her and soon._

_-o-o-o-_

_Mike however was unaware that they had been seen, by Aamir. Aamir knew that Mike liked Samira, but he wanted her for himself. He wanted to marry Samira himself and he didn't want anyone else to have her, and he was not going to stand back anymore and watch his cousin become someone else's wife. He rang Tariq to tell him a little white lie. If he told Tariq that Mike was cheating on Samira, Tariq would be sure to get angry and make sure that Mike lost his job and his way into Samira's heart would be clear. The person he would be cheating on her with? Jyoti Patel!_

_At first, Tariq did not believe him._

_-o-o-o-o-_

_The letter had been forgotten as Mike continued his work, unaware that this one letter was to have disastrous implications for him and for Samira, unaware that this letter was; in fact, under the pile of letters that Mohammed had taken._

_Mike and Tariq worked together for the rest of the day and then at 5 o'clock they locked up and went home. Mike toyed with the idea of joining Tariq for the evening but he wanted to go home and read the note Jyoti had given him. Besides, he had arranged to meet Sister Mary. She was coming over later tonight and then Mike had insisted that he was going to treat her to a meal at an uptown restaurant. He was happy, and he wanted Sister Mary to know about Sam._

_When he got home, Mike searched his pockets for the letter. He could not find it anywhere. He checked all the pockets to his jeans and all the pockets to his jacket to no avail. The letter was not there._

_Mike figured that he must have dropped it somewhere. He would go back to the workshop, in the morning and look for it._

_-o-o-o-o-_

_Mohammed woke from his afternoon nap feeling much better than he had that morning. He figured that it must have been something he had eaten. He sat on the sofa whilst his daughter brought him his coffee. She picked up the letters and put them on top of the mantelpiece. Then leaving her father to rest, she went to help her mother in the kitchen. He was dozing when Tariq came in an hour later, his energy levels had dropped and he did not feel like opening the days post, but he knew he would have to in case there were any cheques that needed to be banked the following day._

_"Tariq beta, can you open the mail for me?"_

_Tariq brought the letters from the mantelpiece and put them beside his dad. One by one, he began to open them, discarding any that were of no use, pulling out cheques that needed to be banked. Finally, he reached the one at the bottom. He noticed the letter addressed to Mike and put it to one side; he would give it to him later._

_"Who is sending Mike letters?" Mohammed asked in Hindi._

_Tariq checked the envelope. It had no address on it. So it had to have been hand delivered, furthermore the handwriting clearly belonged to Sam._ _The two men were intrigued, why was Sam sending Mike letters? Mohammed's anger began to grow._ _He hoped that his daughter had enough sense NOT to have chosen him for a boyfriend, she had been betrothed to his friend's son, and they would be getting married after Samira had finished her studies._

_The conversation between Mike and himself replayed itself in Tariq's mind and he wondered if he should open the letter, he could always say that it had been opened by mistake. Surely, his friend was forgiving enough and understanding that he would not be upset by this, besides, it was his sister, who was sending the letter, and surely, she would not keep any secrets from him._

_He was about to open it when his consciousness got the better of him and he opted to ask Sam about it instead._

_Sam heard her brother calling and went to see why she had been summoned. Hopefully her father was not getting worse and she would not have to call for a doctor. She went into the living room of the semi-detached house with a smile on her face._ _Her brother smiled at her._

_"What's this?" he teased._

_Samira's heart sank; dread filled her entire being. What was this letter doing here?_ _Jo was supposed to have given it to Mike. Why had she given it to Tariq?_ _Quickly she ran to her brother and snatched it from him. The action surprised Tariq, confirmed his worst fears, Samira __**was **__seeing Mike! Tariq stopped smiling, he felt betrayed. His most loyal friend was seeing his sister behind his back! The morning's conversation replayed itself in his mind once more. It all made sense now! The reason behind why Mike had been so shocked at his revelation! He didn't want to believe that Sam was having an arranged marriage!_

_Anger flared like a burning fire in his gut, the heat reached his eyes as he grabbed the letter from his sister. Glaring he opened the letter._

_Tariq's heart sank as he read the letter. It was a love letter from Sam to Mike. She had written him a poem declaring her love for him._

_Mohammed watched the exchange between brother and sister. Wondering what was going on. He was about to protest when Tariq grabbed the letter from her, not wanting to pry, but Samira's reaction had shocked him into saying nothing.__He pulled the letter from his son's hand. He had to sit down as he read. The contents of the letter saddened him into silence. __Samira knew she had been wrong to do this. She had fallen in love with someone other than the man she was engaged to marry, and she crawled over to her father, not daring to stand, not wishing to raise her head._

_"I'm sorry Baba, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," bowing, she touched her father's feet begging for forgiveness. She stayed in her crouched position, not wishing to disrespect the man she had called father for seventeen years.__Her mother came in wondering what had caused this fuss._

_"What is happening? Why is Samira crying?" she leaned down to pick up her daughter. Samira stood up and leaned against her mother._

_"Your daughter is in love! She is in love with a man she cannot marry!" Tears formed in Mohammed eyes, he knew that Mike would not be able to convert for her. He would not be able to follow even the simplest of codes, and he told Samira that unless he could, she could not marry Mike._

_"Is this true?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper._

_Samira didn't have to say anything for her mother to know, a simple look was all it took._ _She sat her daughter down._

_"Do you think he will change for you? Do you think he will do what is necessary for marriage?"_

_Tariq thought of his earlier conversation with his friend; also the telephone conversation with Aamir._

_"Mike's not going to change for you, he doesn't love you!" Tariq spoke softly._

_"That's not true; he loves me! He told me so!"_

_"Yeah? Then why did Aamir see him kissing Jo?"_

_"Jo? Jyoti?" Samira questioned._

_"Yes, Jyoti! He dropped her home today, and he was seen kissing her!"_

_Samira felt worse, this was the ultimate betrayal. How could Jyoti do this to her, she of all people knew of how she felt about him! How could Mike do this to her? He had told her that he loved her and yet he was seeing Jyoti - Her __**best**__ friend!__ Samira wept as she finally realised how naive she had been to think that her father would accept Mike, and that he would convert to Islam for her. She wept because she had lost two of her closest friends, their treacherous behaviour hurt, and she wept because she knew she had no choice but to marry the man her father had chosen for her. A man she did not even know._

_Mohammed was furious and even though he listened to Tariq about getting Samira married off quickly - it was not an idea he was happy with, he was sure that Mike would not convert to Islam to ensure that their children were brought up following their faith. _

_Mike was a good boy, he really was, but he was not Muslim, he was an orphan, and he was certainly not son-in-law material._

_Samira was betrothed as a young girl into the family of one of his childhood friends. He could not let his friend down now. The family's honour was at stake! He was livid at Mike. He had looked after the boy, invited him into his home and this was how he repaid him, by breaking his one and only daughter's heart!_

_He asked Tariq if he could carry out the task he had in mind for him. He would have to break off his friendship, beat him up, and leave him in the gutter to die._ _Tariq felt angry, Mike had broken his sister's heart and he was not going to get away with it, he agreed with his father. He would gather a few of his other friends and he would find Mike, tonight..._

_-o-o-o-o-o-_

_Mike stood outside the train station, waiting for the train to arrive. He was looking forward to seeing the only woman in his life who had stood by him through thick and thin._

_Suddenly he found himself surrounded by a group of hooded thugs. Slowly he looked around, he counted at least ten men armed with hockey sticks, baseball bats, and various other instruments that could break a limb or send him to hospital for a very long time. He gulped; there was no way he could take on this many! He could take on two or three, maybe even as much as four or five, but not ten, not without Tariq at his side!_

_He gulped and began to sweat. What did they want? Thinking on his feet, he offered them money._

_"We don't want your money!" the leader spat. Literally, he spat! "We really don't want your stinking money!" _

_Wait a minute, that sounded like..._

_"Tariq?" he frowned, what had come over his friend? Why was he behaving in this manner? _

_Mike wasn't given a chance to discuss anything... Tariq pulled off his balaclava, and he punched Mike, two men grabbed him from behind, and another blow landed in his stomach, and another, and another. One man hit his head, another hit his leg. Someone pulled out a knife and held it to his throat._

_Suddenly they heard a shout._

_"Hey, leave him alone!" A woman shouted across the road. Out of a bloody eye, Mike could make out Sister Mary. He managed to shout hoarsely._

_"Leave her alone, she's done nothing to you!" Mike tried to shout, but all that came out was a guttural noise. __He felt the knife slice across his chin and he began to bleed._

_Sister Mary ran across to the young man she thought of as her son._ _"Leave him alone!"_

_Tariq watched as the man with the knife sliced Mike, and then he went for the Nun as she rushed to Mike's aid._ _Everything was a blur for a moment. How the knife ended up in the Nun's stomach Tariq would never know._ _She was dying, Tariq was quick to realise that this was going to turn nasty._

_"Don't ever come near me or my family ever again! Another thing...! If you ever come near Sam ever again, I'll find you, kill you and then I'll kill her too! So if you want her to live, you'll stay away!" He heard sirens in the distance. "Run!" he shouted as sirens began to come closer._

_Mike crawled over to Sister Mary as she lay bleeding on the pavement. Gingerly he pulled out the knife that had been left in her gut._

_"No!" he screamed as she slowly lost consciousness, he watched as her head slumped to one side, signifying that she had died._

_The crowd dispersed quickly._

_Police surrounded him as he sobbed, and arrested him._

* * *

Mike's rage at loosing Sister Mary ripped through him, the injustice of being arrested for something he didn't do, and an involuntary tear rolled down his cheek.

He had never found out why Tariq had behaved that manner. Through various friends who spoke to him, he had found out that Mohammed had not waited another day and had taken Samira back to Pakistan to have her married off. He had only seen Sam once since then, and even that had been quite by accident when he had helped the team with an anomaly.

"So you see, I can never be with her, never see her again, she's married, she has a kid." He sniffed feeling miserable.

Connor put his arm around his brother as he wept once more.

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed that, there will hopefully be more later.**_

_**Please remember reviews are love, and help feed the ever hungry muse.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Mike Malonino**_

**_This one is slightly different from my usual. It is set in the Primeval Verse._**

**_It follows Connor's brother and will feature a back-story for Mike Malonino. You might want to Google some of the cast mentioned in Chapter 1 – My OC's are all Bollywood actors, and whilst I have used actors, the Characters I have created all belong to me._**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

Lester chatted amiably to the young lady who sat in the chair on the other side of his desk. Caroline wanted to move on, she wanted to go back to a more stable role at the hospital, and she had sent one of her more promising doctors to Lester, in the hope that she would be able to take over a Doctor's role within the medical department.

The young lady seemed to be more than just a medic was; she was always trying her best to make things better, her bedside manner was perfect, and she had the desire, and the motivation to be more than just a good doctor.

Lester asked the team to gather in the hub. A new medic was joining and he wanted to introduce her - Dr. Jyoti Patel.

The team welcomed her warmly, and told her that they would do their best to help. Slowly she was introduced to the whole team. She was going to take over from Caroline in the medical department. However, she looked quizzically between Connor and Mike.

"You're not related to anyone here are you?" Lester asked. The ARC was fast becoming a place where everyone was related in one way or another. Not only were Connor and Mike twins, and were related to Matt, their half-brother, Abby and Connor were engaged, Jess was dating the Head of Security, and Matt was seeing Lady Emily, and Danny the time-traveller, was dating Captain Becker's sister! Jo shook her head but smiled at Connor.

Jo sat down to speak to Connor, initially she had thought he had been the one called Michael Malonino that she had known as a mere teenager - She was wrong.

She spoke to Connor in his lab briefly, about himself and his brother.

"So, you're Connor Temple, Mike's brother?" She frowned. "Why do you have different surnames?"

"Well, this sounds like a crazy story, but we were separated at birth, we only discovered one another a few years ago. Mike just didn't want to change his name." He shrugged, as Jyoti smiled at him. Jyoti nodded her head, she knew that she had seen Mike before somewhere and now she knew. Her best childhood friend had been Samira Khan. Samira had been the one who fancied him!

Connor became nervous, how did he tell her that he had a girlfriend? One who was due to come back to work in the menagerie next week?

Abby had wanted to stay at home until Luke was starting pre-school. Now that Diane had moved closer and had developed a strong relationship with them, it seemed as if the time was right for her to return to work. She would no longer be a member of the core team but would continue to work in the menagerie with the animals. She and Connor had decided that they could not afford a repeat performance of both of them being stuck in another timeline, such as the Cretaceous.

* * *

Mike sat at the table in the break room, he was about to tuck into a sandwich when Jyoti approached him. "May I join you for lunch?" Jyoti looked down at the bearded soldier in front of her. She studied him. What had happened to him in the last nine years to change him? He had been a sweet clean-shaven, heartthrob, in his late teens, and she looked down at him now, bearded, broody, and he had a stern look on his face that, in her opinion, didn't suit him.

He didn't look up straight away. Instead his eyes travelled up her body taking in the well toned legs, the smart grey skirt and matching jacket, the neckline of her white blouse, then he finally tilted his head up to look at her face.

She had lovely brown eyes the colour of whiskey, highlighted by the eye shadow she was wearing, bringing out the earthy tones them.

"Yeah," he gestured to the chair opposite.

"You know I've been watching you for a while and I've just realised I know you." She spoke in a soft feminine voice that was pleasant.

"Yeah, where from?" He was trying to be polite, but all he wanted to do, was eat his sandwich.

"We went to school together. You were a couple of years older than me."

Mike frowned. "What did you say your name was again?" He muttered.

"Jo Patel; although at school everyone called me Jyoti."

He thought for a moment. Jyoti Patel. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard it. He had heard of hundreds of Patel's in his life, the name was almost as common as Smith or Jones. He shook his head negatively.

"You do know me! Or rather you were more interested in my best friend..."

"Can't say I remember you." He took a large bite of his sandwich. She watched him over her coffee cup.

"You remember Samira though... Samira Khan?"

Mike had been unprepared for this, and he nearly choked on his sandwich. He coughed and spluttered.

"Samira... How do you know Sam?" He questioned hoarsely, after he had swallowed his sandwich and gulped at his coffee composing himself. Jo now had his full attention, and he was intrigued and wanted to know more. He looked at her intently.

"She was my best friend..."

Mike sat back and blinked at the young woman who sat in front of him, and now that he cast his mind back, he did remember her... She had been _Very_different back then... He recalled a short, tubby, spectacled teenager, with braces, and lots of acne. He looked into her eyes and a slow smile spread across his face. It had been nine years since he had seen her, but he remembered her now.

"I do remember you! You were different back then..." He watched her smile, she now had beautifully straight teeth, all the acne had gone, and she had grown in height since the last time he had seen her, she had lost quite a lot of weight too.

"So... You're a doctor now. Dr Patel; sounds very posh," he couldn't help but smile at the young lady in front of him, and he couldn't help but remember the teenager she used to be, along with the pretty girl she used to hang around with. Jyoti smiled back at him, and she started to blush.

Mike gulped, he had to ask this question, but wasn't sure how she would take it? Would she hold it against him forever more? "So tell me... Do you still keep in touch with Sam?" He tried hard to sound nonchalant, as if he didn't care, but he just _had_ to know.

"No, I never got a chance to speak properly to her at all. Her father whisked her away to Pakistan and she was married within the space of a month. When she came back, her husband prevented her from seeing or talking to anyone." Jo looked down at her half-filled coffee cup, studying it intently.

"What happened?"

"Aamir happened, that husband of hers! ... Creep!" Jo began to get upset, and he could tell that Jo and Sam had stopped being friends because of him.

"Aamir? She married Aamir? Her distant cousin?" He raised his eyebrows questioningly. "But I thought she was engaged to be married to someone from Pakistan?"

"I thought so too, but it turns out, that someone told the other party about Sam having a boyfriend, they weren't happy and they refused." Jyoti paused. "I'm sure that it was Aamir who told them, he had this thing for Samira for years, and he didn't want anyone else being married to her." Jo looked into Mike's eyes, seeing the anguish and anger in them she faltered. She wasn't sure how much more she could tell him, how much more he could take. Hesitantly, she continued.

"You see, I had gone to see her, to apologise about everything that had happened, and he made a pass at me, in front of Samira too... I could tell that she was helpless, powerless to do anything against him."

"What did you do?" Mike asked, as he became concerned. He recalled the man who had been the reason why he had been beaten up by his friend, Aamir had been the reason behind his going to prison, the man whom he had stolen cars for, the man who had made sure that he never saw Sam again. Tariq had been fuelled by his ideas and had been persuaded to keep Mike away from his lover whilst they moved away from the area.

Jo stared regretfully into her coffee, not wanting to look into his eyes, not wanting to tell him that Aamir had slapped Samira, almost beaten her, when she had tried to protect her guest, not wanting her eyes to convey the truth, that she had fled, fearing for her own safety.

"I left, didn't stay as long as I'd wanted too..." she paused. She hadn't lied; she just hadn't told him the complete truth. "I rang her once, spoke to her, then she stopped answering the phone, and then I lost touch, haven't seen her since."

Mike continued to gaze at the woman in front of him, she was hiding something, and she couldn't look him I the eye. What was it that she wasn't telling him?

"Anyway... How about you?" She smiled and looked up at him. " What have you been up to?" She gazed into his eyes and felt a tug at her heart, similar to the one she had felt years ago for her friend's lover. She had hated herself for feeling that way then, but now he was single, she was single, and they were free to date whomever they chose.

Jyoti had found out how he'd been beaten by Tariq, how he had been arrested for the murder of Sister Mary. She had known that he had spent an entire year in prison for something he didn't do before he was retried and acquitted. She also knew that it had been Aamir who had spread lies about her and Mike regarding their supposed kiss. He had then told Tariq and ensured that Mike had been taken out of the picture. Aamir had deliberately stirred things up just to be with Samira!

Mike continued to tell her of his sordid past- after all, nine years had passed since they had seen each other. He told her of his unpleasant past, starting with Samira; the death of Sister Mary; his imprisonment for murder, something he still said that he didn't do. How his imprisonment had made him turn to a life of crime, just to make ends meet. How he had met Helen Cutter, how she had enticed him with the promise of lots of money if he could halt the ARC's proper function, more money if he could destroy it. How he'd discovered his brother, mother, father and half-brother, how by some weird quirk they had all managed to meet up and find each other.

* * *

Lester called Becker and Matt into his office.

"Our new Medic - Dr Jyoti Patel, she's got quite an impressive CV. She's a black belt in karate, and she's also had firearms training." Lester passed Becker a file. "Do you think she might be able to join you in the field?"

"I can go through what she needs to know sir, but how much does she know about the creatures?" Becker looked at her details.

"She's been told about them, whether she believes it or not is a different matter." Lester shuffled some papers on his desk.

Becker passed her file to Matt.

"Did you want her shown around?" Becker questioned.

"I don't think it will hurt, her seeing the creatures, it will enable her to be ready for any injuries if she's knows what she's dealing with." Matt interjected.

"Fine, show her around." Lester ordered.

"Is it possible to get someone else to do it Lester? We're both reviewing the security, and will be tied up all day, Abby's not back yet, and Connor and Jess are trying to figure out Cutter's anomaly map."

"Fine, get Mike to show her, she seems to be getting on with him more than anyone else." Lester told them.

"Just one more thing, do either of you know what Mike is doing at the end of the month? His parole finishes and I need to know if he plans on staying, or if he wants to go elsewhere?"

"Sorry Lester, we don't know, but we'll try to find out for you. If he does leave it'll mean getting a replacement." Becker shrugged.

"I'm afraid it does. You know, he's got a habit of growing on people, I hope he stays he's a good man to have around, even if he is a pain the proverbial backside." Lester muttered.

* * *

Mike huffed, as he put down the phone. The Captain wanted him to show Dr Patel around the building, starting at the menagerie. Apparently, everyone else was in meetings or had something more important to do. Slowly, he walked up to the medical bay. He had wanted to maintain a distance from Jo; she had opened up a chapter of his past that he had buried years ago. Whilst thoughts of her were pleasant, he couldn't help but feel an emptiness in the pit of his stomach, the void left by Sam. He shook his head trying to rid himself of thoughts about Samira. She was married, she was no longer available, and she had a family of her own.

He entered the Medical bay to find it empty. He looked around and looked in the room opposite. He couldn't see anything but he could hear something. Cautiously he entered, but all he could see was a huge, brown, cardboard box at the side of the room. A woman in a smart, grey skirt bent over the box trying to reach something, that was clearly at the bottom. He looked at her leaning over the box, her skirt had risen to an obscene height, and Mike was sure that if she leaned over any further he would be able to see her knickers. He just stood and admired the colour and shape of her tanned legs, her round bottom; his mouth fell open, and his throat went dry.

Shaking his head, he turned away, wanting to save her any blushes later. He cleared his throat loudly announcing his presence.

"Oh Sorry, Didn't hear you come in ..." Jo scrambled up, straightening her skirt, completely unaware of Mike's uncomfortable feeling.

"Social visit I hope?" She looked him up and down looking for injuries.

"Yes and no... I've been given the task of showing you around the building, are you free?" He gulped.

"As it happens, yes... I'm not doing anything that can't wait." She straightened her skirt again.

"One thing I must ask, before we set off... What have you been told about the work we do here?" He gave her a small smile.

"Well... I know it's a part of the government, I've already had to sign the official secrets act, so whatever it is must be either extremely dangerous; or so secretive, that it has to be kept under wraps." She paused and looked him in the eye. "I'm sorry but, I don't believe the bit about dinosaurs." She giggled. "What is it really?"

"I'll show you," Mike smiled again, not quite a full smile that reached his eyes, but it was a smile nonetheless.

Mike walked along the corridor with Jo towards the menagerie. He had been told it was going to be the best place to start, and to be honest, he agreed with the Captain.

"Captain Becker tells me that you're going to be joining us in the field? Have you had training?"

"Yeah, I'm a black belt in karate, and I am a dab hand on the firing range!" She smiled, Mike stopped. This was not like her at all. When he had known her she had not had any of that expertise, did she have to look after herself when he was in prison?

"I had to grow up fast, I had no older brothers looking out for me, an Asian girl, and single, on her own, sometimes it attracts unwanted attention. I learned the best way to get on was to look after myself!"

Opening the door to the menagerie, he was unsurprised to find it empty. Walking casually to the glass walls, he urged her to come forward. He pointed to the various enclosures.

"Manny the mammoth, Princess the Dracorex, Rex, - I don't know what type he is don't ask, and we have Sid and Nancy over there." He paused to look at her.

"Mam –mam- mammoth?" She stuttered, her eyes wide and disbelieving. She looked over all of the pens, the look of astonishment plastered across her face.

"I didn't believe it either, but then I wasn't given the grand tour!"

Behind them, the door swished open and Abby came in.

"Abby!" Mike called. He stood back and hoped that she had seen Connor recently. He didn't want any confusion, not today. He hoped that his uniform would give it away.

"Hiya Mike, You OK?" She questioned. Walking up to Jo with her hand outstretched she introduced herself, having missed the earlier meeting in Lester's office.

"Do you want a closer look at the creatures?" Abby pointed to the door which led to their enclosures.

"No, this is close enough," Jo squeaked as she turned to gape through the glass once more.

Abby spoke to Jyoti at length about the creatures they kept, she told her about what sort of injuries to expect, and also that she could also encounter creatures from the future, and that they had no idea what they were, and that sometimes she would have to try her best when it came to injuries.

* * *

Mike continued showing her around the building, smiling as they spoke, he found that she was easy to talk to, and she had grown up since he had known her. She was nice; and in addition to her pleasant personality, she had grown in confidence, her appearance had changed and she was no longer a short, tubby, teenager with glasses... She was a beautiful woman with curves in all the right places. Her friendly personality shone through, and with it came the confidence that she had lacked as a teenager, she was proud of what she had achieved since the death of her mother, almost ten years ago.

He smiled easily as he chatted to her strolling towards the hub.

They sauntered past Matt's office and Matt found himself staring at Mike...

Mike was smiling... Something was wrong! Mike _never_ smiled, he was always grumpy, a gruff look on his face. What was going on here! Was Mike feeling all right? He nudged Becker sitting on his left, he too had noticed Mike's changing attitude.

* * *

The following day Mike was cleaning the guns in the armoury when Becker called out to him. He was summoned for his weekly sparring session. Finishing quickly he got dressed and went to see the Captain in the gym. He was surprised to see the captain was not in his training gear. He looked around and spotted a woman wearing a navy blue, tracksuit, her long, black, hair tied back into a long ponytail. She had her back to him and he could not see her face. He began to get a horrible feeling about this. He had a feeling that he knew this woman, and slowly she turned to face him.

His heart skipped a beat.

"Jo?" He asked incredulously.

She smiled back at him, and then at Becker.

"You want me to fight him?" She raised her eyebrows almost as if to say, 'You cannot be serious!'

Mike was reluctant to wrestle Jyoti; everything in his entire being told him that he shouldn't. She struck out at him with her hand, and he stumbled backwards after feeling her tiny fist in his face.

It was when she kicked him off his feet, that he decided that he was not going to play Mister Nice anymore and he began to fight back. Being careful not to hurt her too much, he wrestled her to the floor, much to Becker's amusement.

"I can take you." He whispered breathlessly as he straddled her.

"Oh really?" She whispered back just as out of breath as he was.

As he lay almost on top of her, Jo raised her knee sharply, and it connected with his groin, he grunted in agony as she pushed him off her.

"'K... You... win ... this time!" He whispered hoarsely unable to move because of the pain between his legs.

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, I've really hurt you haven't I?" She gasped, panicking.

She turned around when she heard quite laughter behind her. Becker was clutching his sides from laughing so much.

"We'll carry on the sparring same time tomorrow." He sniggered, bending down to help Mike up.

Jyoti could not bear leaving Mike in this state. She waited until Becker had helped him up.

"Do you want me to get a male medic?" She stammered.

"No, I'll be fine." Mike whispered shaking his head.

Jo disappeared to the changing rooms for a quick shower before getting dressed to return to the infirmary. She was in a cubicle and had just finished getting dressed when she became aware of someone entering the changing rooms. She froze, trying not to make a sound she listened to the exchange.

"Are you going to be OK?" The first voice spoke quietly; it was definitely a man.

"Yes! I'll be fine!" The second male voice almost shouted at the first voice.

"OK, I'll let you get on yeah, or do you need some help."

"Can you help me to the shower Conn?" The second voice groaned as if in pain.

"Of course."

She listened as both men stumbled towards the shower stalls. She winced as she realised who was there... It was Connor and the other voice, had to be Mike!

Guilt flooded through her. She had been asked to spar with the man, and she had injured him badly, she couldn't just leave him. The Doctor in her refused to let her run in this manner. She would wait for Mike to finish and then if he needed any medical help, she would be there to help him. She waited in the cubicle for Connor to leave and then as she heard his footsteps receding she crept out and sat on the side waiting for Mike.

It was not long before Mike came out, a towel hung loosely against his hips. She looked away not wanting to invade his privacy, but the short glance at his muscular body had her humming in appreciation. She waited further still whilst he took his clothes to a cubicle to put on his uniform.

"Mike!" She called as he stepped out fully dressed. "I'm sorry."

"Will you quit apologising?" He grunted, pulling on his Kevlar vest.

"I hurt you..."

"Yeah... So...?" He grumbled again, his voice gruff and unhappy. He waited for her to say something but when she didn't he continued. "I've had worse injuries before."

Her eyes seemed to beg him to carry on, to tell her what had happened.

"Look, you were just doing as you were asked. Becker told me how he needs to put you through certain training before you can join us in the field. I understand that. It's dangerous out there. In a way I wish that you didn't have to be so close to the action, but it's what Lester wants, to have a medic on the team." A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, "You fought well today. Don't expect me to go easy on you tomorrow."

She smiled shyly; she could now see that he wasn't in as much pain as before. "Let me at least buy you lunch..."

Mike stopped and looked her in the eye.

"Yeah OK." He smiled. "Listen, I'm going up to gate duty, I can walk you to your office."

"But my office is on the third floor!" She smiled widely.

"So... let me walk you to the elevator!" He grinned.

* * *

Over the next week Mike and Jyoti got on well together, they would spar, Mike given up trying to be nice to her and she fought back, much to Mike's amusement, he liked seeing this different side to Jyoti, and his admiration for her, grew.

During his breaks, he would take her coffee, preferring to sit with her chatting, enjoying her company.

Jyoti was shy at first, she was not sure of his actions, but then, as his visits to see her became more regular, she began to relax. Her favourite part of the day was at lunchtime when Mike would take her to the local sandwich bar for lunch. Occasionally Connor and Abby would join them, and sometimes they would go to the local pub for a lunchtime drink.

* * *

The team attended an anomaly at a petrol station. Jess had managed to clear the forecourt of any passers-by. The easiest explanation - a fuel leak and a fire nearby threatening to cause an explosion which would rock the surrounding area.

The trouble was trying to establish if anything had come through the anomaly.

Connor pointed his dating calculator. The Anomaly was 1666. Connor held his breath and hoped that the anomaly didn't lead to London – the great fire of London had happened in 1666! He gulped when he felt the raging heat emanating from the other side... He looked over to Mike who was nearby with the locking device.

"Lock it! Quickly!" He didn't want the raging fire on the other side to spread.

Mike opened the case, and proceeded to lock the anomaly but was surprised when a goat came running through. The animals fur was singed and smoking.

"Connor! You lock the anomaly... I'll catch the goat." He ran after the goat who ran straight for a piece of piping. The animal began chewing at the hosepipe, managing to bite through and causing a small amount of petrol to leak, suddenly the animals smoking fur caught light.

Mike pulled off his jacket hoping to smother the animal, but it was too late...

There was a huge explosion and the animal was killed instantly. Mike was thrown through the air and he landed badly knocking him out, his shirt still burning on his body. Matt and Becker came to his rescue, quickly smothering the flames. Connor, although thrown back by the blast, incurred minor burns and lacerations.

* * *

Both Mike and Connor were rushed into the ARC's infirmary to be treated by Jo. She gasped as both men were brought in. Assessing Mike's more serious injuries first, she established that he needed to be stripped and kept as cool as possible. His scalds, although not life threatening, were still bad enough to warrant immediate attention. The areas affected were mostly his chest, and the tops of his shoulders and upper arms, where his shirt had caught fire.

Jo worked quickly applying creams to stop him from scarring and from infection spreading to the rest of his body.

Once she had ensured that Mike was stable, she moved across to Connor, who although was in pain, his injuries were not serious enough to warrant too much attention. She gave him painkillers, sedated him, applied the necessary creams, and then told Abby that she would have to keep Connor in overnight for observation.

It was whilst Abby watched over her fiance and her future brother in law that she and Abby began to talk.

At first Abby told her of hers and Connor's relationship. How it had been on and off for years before they finally accepted each other. She told Jo how when she had first met Mike she had hated him, how he had kidnapped Connor and tried to drive a wedge into their relationship. She told her of how they discovered their blood ties.

Jyoti in turn told her of how she had met Mike, how she could never tell him how much she had liked him. How she still couldn't tell him, because she knew that his feelings for Sam still ran deep.

"You really like him don't you?" Abby noticed the concern on Jo's face as she checked over Mike's injuries.

"Have done for ages, but I've had to bottle up these feelings for years. If I'd have known he worked here I would never have taken this job." Jo sighed, and she looked over at Abby.

"Why?"

"All those years apart haven't made a difference; I still have feelings for him. He doesn't realise, he just doesn't see me in the same way." Jyoti looked sad and upset.

"What happened?"

"My best friend fancied him, but things went wrong and he ended up in prison, she abandoned him, when he needed her the most." She blinked, and looked down at his sleeping form. "Her brother beat him up, somehow a nun was hurt in the process, and he served time for her death..." She looked back at Abby once more.

"You know, I know he didn't have anything to do with the nun's death, he was definitely framed, and he would never have done anything to hurt anybody." Jyoti explained.

"So you knew him before he ended up in prison? Before any of this started? How old were you?" Abby questioned raising her eyebrows.

"I had just turned sixteen; he was older than me... Nineteen, maybe twenty?" Jyoti recalled the last time she had seen or heard from Mike.

"Wow! What was he like back then?" Abby smiled.

"He was nice," she smiled as she recalled her memories, "Clean shaven, always polite, always had a smile for you." Her smile diminished as she shook her head, "I don't know what happened to him, but he's changed, I wonder what's made him so broody ... so unhappy... so grim." Jo's voice faded as she spoke.

"Don't know, what I do know is that when I met him, I didn't like him at all. He'd kidnapped Connor, imprisoned him, and he was impersonating him, he was only doing it for money. Helen Cutter had agreed to pay him to do this, she wanted him to infiltrate the ARC and destroy it." Abby continued.

"One night he even tried to rape me, but I think that was the drink talking... He's not allowed to touch alcohol - conditions of his parole ... but I think that's a good thing. He's a better person for it. He hasn't touched any drink for a couple of years now." Abby sighed. "A few of years ago he bumped into Sam, that day he was beaten up, he nearly hit the bottle then, but, he's a lot stronger than we give him credit for. Matt and Connor helped him through it, I wonder if he would've been sent back to prison if he didn't have them around to help." Abby put her hand on Jo's shoulder.

"He needs someone in his life; I think he needs someone like you..."

Jo shook her head, snorting, "He doesn't need me; he wants Sam." She muttered sadly.

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed that, there will hopefully be more later.**_

_**Please remember reviews are love, and help feed the ever hungry muse.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Mike Malonino**_

_**Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, I have just borrowed the characters for a little while.**_

**_This one is slightly different from my usual. It is set in the Primeval Verse._**

**_It follows Connor's brother and will feature a back-story for Mike Malonino. You might want to Google some of the cast mentioned in Chapter 1 – My OC's are all Bollywood actors, and whilst I have used actors, the Characters I have created all belong to me._**

_**(Apologies for the short chapter... You'll see why.)**_

* * *

**Chapter 4**

Mike's burns to his chest were mainly superficial; however, because he had so many, Dr Patel decided to keep him in the infirmary until his skin showed signs of healing. She carefully tended to his injuries, putting cream on his burns whilst he slept.

As Mike continued to recover, he spent more and more time awake.

With nothing else to do, he would watch as Jyoti walked around the medical bay, continuing to work. He noticed that she would hum quietly to herself, an obscure tune that was definitely not in the charts, he wondered if it was a Bollywood tune that he had heard whilst he worked at his former friends' garage. One time he heard her singing to herself, the words not in English and he wondered what they meant...

"Humee tuhmse pyaara kitna, yeah hum nahin jaanetey, mugaar jee nahin saaktey, tumhaare bina..." Her voice was soft, the tune hauntingly sublime, and he found himself humming the melody along with her. One day he would find out what the song meant.

* * *

Mike found himself liking her more and more and he would try to engage her in conversation. They talked about many things; or rather, Mike would ask her many questions about her as possible whilst keeping his own background quiet. He was not sure that he wanted to reveal that particular part of his sordid past - his life in prison.

"Ok Mike, time for your ointment application." Jyoti smiled holding up a tube of medicated cream.

"This might be a little cold..." She squeezed a little balm on her hands and began to massage it into his bare chest.  
His breathing became shallow, and he took short sharp breaths. Her soft hands felt like silk, and he shuddered involuntarily.

Jyoti noticed his unusual breathing pattern and she became concerned. She flinched as he grabbed her hand stopping her from continuing massaging his lithe body.  
"Are you ok?" She looked into his eyes and noticed how dark they had become.  
"Jo..." he pulled her closer to him, breathed in her perfume and he almost groaned at the alluring scent.  
"Mike..." she breathed and pulled away a little.  
"Mike, I have to finish applying this cream. She moved the sheet covering his waist down a little and then she wished she hadn't. The sheet now covered him down to just below his navel. Mike clutched at the sheet not wanting her to see the effect she was having on him.

"Mike what's wrong...?" She paused... "Oh..." She began to blush as her hand brushed against his groin.

She watched his face as embarrassment crept across it. She had seen the unmistakable outline of his legs and the tenting between them.

"Sorry... I should have realised. I ... Erm ... Maybe you'd like to finish applying this ointment?"  
She handed him the tube and scurried from the room.

"Jo!" He shouted. He needed her to help him. "Jo! Help!" He tried to sit up, hissing and wincing as he did so.

Jyoti had stopped just outside his door and she could hear him. She could hear him trying to move. Although she knew he wasn't completely naked under the sheets, he was wearing loose cotton pyjama bottoms; she could not help but feel awkward. She thought back to what she had been doing. Did he really find her touch so arousing that he would have to sort himself out?

She heard him calling for her, trying to get out of bed. If he wasn't careful, he was going to hurt himself. Anxiously, she went back into the room, she couldn't just leave him, and there was nobody else around to help.

"Mike...! Stop! What are you doing?" She walked briskly over to him as he struggled out of bed. "You'll hurt yourself if you're not careful!"

"I need..." Mike groaned. "You..."

"What?" Jyoti stiffened, whatever he wanted from her, she was not sure she could give it to him.

"I need you to..." He took a deep breath.

"Help me... Get... To the ... Gents," he panted. "I can sort myself from there."

Breathing deeply and relaxing that he just needed help, Jo began to place one arm on her shoulder; he leaned against her using her as a crutch. Gingerly they made their way down the hall to the toilets. She sighed; at least the toilets on this floor were not unisex like the ones in the locker room.

Just as they reached the end of the corridor, she spotted Matt coming the opposite way.

"You OK there?" he called out.

"He just wants to go ..." Jyoti, indicated the door on her left with a nod of her head.

"Oh! OK ... I'll give you a hand." He strolled over and took over form Jyoti taking him inside. He took Mike into one of the stalls and he told him he would wait outside.

* * *

A while later, he heard Matt banging on the door.  
"Mike! Mike! Are you OK in there? Mike!" He could hear tension in his half-brothers voice, and realised how vocal he must have been.

"I'm OK." He blew out a breath. He steadied himself before opening the door.

Matt raised his eyebrows as he opened the door.

"I'm fine..." Mike muttered. He breathed in deeply and slowly he stepped out.

"You need any help?"

"I'm fine!" Mike growled. Matt shook his head; he had missed the old grumpy Mike. He was not used to see Mike smile at anyone, and hearing him like this meant that the old Mike was back.

Carefully Matt helped Mike back to his bed in the infirmary.

"I was coming to see you. Check how you were." Matt talked as they walked back to the infirmary.

"As you can see... I'm OK." He muttered gruffly.

Matt didn't believe him, he could barely walk on his own and still needed support. Maybe he still needed another week.

"That's good, so can I ask what you're going to do in the future? Are you going to leave at the end of your parole or are you going to stay?"

Mike closed his eyes for a moment. He hadn't realised that this time had come around so quickly. If Matt had asked him a month ago, he would have said he wanted to move on, but now he was not so sure. Since Jo had come along, he found coming to work was not so much a chore. He looked across at his half-brother. Since working here, his relationship with not just his brother had improved but also those around him. He got on with Abby, she had finally forgiven him for past grievances, and Matt trusted him a lot more in the field, as did Becker, Jess, and Emily seemed to enjoy his company too. Even Lester had softened towards him.

"I'm going to stay. If Lester doesn't mind."

Matt smiled. If anything, Lester would be pleased, he would not have to organise getting a soldier to replace him.

* * *

Mike was kept in the infirmary for another fortnight, whilst the burns to his chest healed. The scorches to his body were healing, and it would not be long until he was discharged from her care.

He watched Jo as she continued to work; she was humming her favourite melody, flitting around the infirmary checking medication, replacing it, making sure everything was kept in order.

Today she was wearing a figure hugging, midnight blue, a dress that came to just above her knees, there were buttons down the front and the long drawstrings at the back, that knotted and trailed down her behind her, ending at the tops of her legs. Her arms were bare, as she had dispensed the cardigan she had been wearing.

The light began to fade quickly, and Jyoti jumped as she heard a crack of thunder, the heavens opened and it began raining heavily. He watched as she paused for a moment, the past week had been very wet causing flooding to lots of areas in the south, weather reports had even made the main news, with flood alerts being issued.

Mike's eyes followed her as she strolled slowly to the window, gazing outside, standing for a moment as she watched the rainfall, large puddles appearing. She looked so lost in her thoughts, and Mike realised that she hadn't seen or heard him approach her, there was another loud crack of thunder, and their faces were reflected in the glass, he was standing behind her. She gasped, and turned quickly.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." Mike stepped back, his hands up in surrender.

He stood and gazed at her as she turned back around to watch the raging storm. She was resting her hands on the windowsill, and Mike longed to feel her smooth skin. He already knew how those hands could work wonders as they rubbed cream into his chest, but today he longed to rub his hands up and down her arms, to find out if they were as soft as they looked. He could not help himself, and he stepped closer. He felt her stiffen as he put his hands on each shoulder, slowly his hands began their descent, feeling the way down to her wrists, and he pulled her closer to him, until her back rested gently against his bare chest.

Jyoti was careful not to rub her back against him, knowing the pain she could cause if she did. His skin was still healing, and any friction could cause his skin to break and bleed. She had gasped as his hands traced down her arms, the warmth in them spread through her entire body, almost as if she were enveloped in a huge warm blanket. She blinked, her feelings of enjoyment shocking her.

She had repressed her feelings for Mike for years, and now they simmered within her, shooting to the surface of her skin where he touched her. She wanted to stay like this, she had already seen how his body reacted when she touched him, but did he love her? Did he have the same feelings for her as she did for him?

She tried not to shudder as he turned her around slowly. She looked into his eyes and felt alarmed at what she saw within them. They were dark with wanton lust, and all that she wanted to do at that moment was run. His reputation of being a 'Bad Boy' preceded him, and she began to worry as to just how far he would go.

"Mike, no! Stop!" Her breath hitched and she stiffened even more, as he leaned down to kiss her.

Mike froze. He had so wanted to kiss her, to find out what it was like pressing his lips against hers, to tell her how his feelings towards her had changed. That she was fast becoming the woman in his life, the _only_woman he wanted in his life.

"Why?" he whispered.

"I'm afraid, scared." She whispered breathlessly, she had wanted to kiss him but something in her wasn't prepared for what he wanted.

"Scared? Scared of what?" He began to wonder why she felt this way. Had Abby told her of how he had treated her, the real reason why Bella, her replacement had left? Or was it something else?

"Many things... I'm scared of how far you'll want to go... That you won't stop at just a kiss, that you don't feel the same way as I feel about you..." She rambled biting her lip.

Mike listened and digested what she had just told him... She had feelings for him, feelings that most probably went deep. He owed her this, to tell her how he was beginning to feel.

"I like you Jo... I like you a lot." He paused, "I like the way you make me feel, and I want to explore these feelings with you. To find out what it would be like to kiss you. To find out if what I feel for you is real or just a figment of my imagination."

"Just a kiss? Just one kiss?" She became hopeful, one kiss would not hurt, it would not mean anything, and hopefully she could find out if he reciprocated her feelings.

He nodded slowly.

She licked her lips and gulped as she stepped closer, her breath hitched once more as he placed his hands on her upper arms holding her close. Ever so slowly, he angled his head closer, their noses a hairbreadth apart. Gently he pressed his lips to hers and felt a jolt of adrenaline surge through him. Her lips were plump and soft, he pulled away gently and then, wanting more he pulled her closer, his lips met hers again pushing them apart, his tongue entered her mouth, he felt her stiffen and then she relaxed as she began to return his kiss. Mike thought he was in heaven, and she tasted gorgeous, and smelled exquisite.

"Ahem!" Someone cleared his throat from the doorway.

Mike and Jyoti turned to look at the older man who stood in the door.

"In your own time Dr Patel, and aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Lester raised his eyebrows. He should have seen this one coming. After all nearly all of the rest of his staff were partners so why not these two?

* * *

Jyoti told Mike a lot about her extended family and wanted him to meet them, her family had always been close, and it was only a matter of time before Mike realised how close they were. She wanted to introduce him to her cousins.

Vijay was Auntie Meena's son he was 25, whilst Sunita was her Uncle Ramesh's daughter and she was 16. Vijay, Sunita, and Jyoti had grown up together, and when they could, would spend time together.

Vijay was studying to be a lawyer. He had just qualified and was working at a local firm of solicitors. One afternoon Jyoti had arranged to meet them at the local Wimpy. Both Jyoti and Mike had the day off. Mike queued up with whilst Jo found a table, and looked out for her cousins. Not long afterwards, Sunita joined her, whilst her cousin stood in the line. Unbeknown to him he stood just behind Mike. Just as Mike was paying for the foodstuff, he had ordered, Auntie Sangita happened to pass by. She knocked Mike's wallet out of his hand and it fell open behind him.

"So sorry, didn't see you there." She smirked.

The young Asian man behind Mike was kind enough to pick up Mike's wallet, and he could not help but notice the picture inside.

"Wow! She's pretty!" The young man commented.

Auntie Sangita overheard and she glanced at the picture briefly. She sneered at Mike and went off to find her own daughter.  
It wasn't long afterwards that Mike reached Jyoti with her coffee and her meal.

She saw her cousin behind him and waved him over.

Vijay was not happy; his favourite cousin was seeing a man who was possibly cheating on her. He watched them together, and whilst they came across as a typical loving couple, he could not help but wonder who the girl in the picture, inside Mike's wallet was. He loved Jyoti as much as he would his own sister and the thought that this man could break her heart made him feel angry, silent fury began to simmer in his veins, he would not say anything to his sweet cousin, but he would make sure that the young man in question knew how he felt.

"Are you OK Vijay...? You're unusually quiet." Jyoti mused.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a lot on at work, other things on my mind."

Mike regarded the man who had joined them; he looked like a sensible young man, clean-shaven, and neatly clipped hair. His sensible trousers and shirt indicated that he had probably just come from work. He hoped that Vijay would not be the one to give the 'You hurt her...' lecture.

Vijay had asked if they could sit outside so that he could watch his brand new car.

"Which one is your car then?" Mike looked at the cars on the forecourt, there was only one that stood out in particular, a nifty black sports car, a BMW. A two sweater and it could not possibly belong to him.

"That black one over there." Vijay pointed to the BMW. Mike was so taken back that he very nearly spluttered his drink all over the table, instead he gulped, and the fluid going down the wrong way and he began to choke.

"I had you down for the clapped out Corsa over there," he wheezed, as Vijay thumped him hard on the back, helping him recover.

"No that one belongs to Auntie Sangita." Vijay grinned, they all hated her, - and she was always interfering. "You wanna have a look inside?"

"Yes, please!" Mike's eyes glinted like a little boy on Christmas morning at the prospect of seeing this car up close.

Vijay clicked his keys to open the car, and he let Mike sit in the driver's seat whilst he got in the other side. He began to explain the workings of the car...

"0 - 60 in 7 seconds..." Vijay began.

"What!" Mike exclaimed.

He looked around the car looking at the various gadgets and screens, remote touch screen devices ensuring that the operations were easy to use, LCD screens which provided information and navigation display. There was a touch screen control board set in the centre console, this controlled the audio system, climate controls, navigation, interface features; there was a pop-up touch-screen keyboard for more complex entries, all of which made Mike's mouth water. Vijay held the keys in his hand.

"That's the ignition." He pointed to a button to Mike's left side.

"Keyless ignition? You mean I can start the car just by pressing that button?" He grinned, the possibility of being able to drive this car with Vijay sitting next to him whilst he had key in his pocket, made his heart leap in his chest, and his mouth water. Technology had come a long way since he was a mere mechanic. He felt he was sitting in the Ultimate car, one he would _NEVER_ be able to afford.

"WOW!" Mike's eyes gleamed. Gingerly he pressed the button, and the engine purred into life. He let out a long, low, whistle of appreciation. "Mind if we go for a spin?"

"Sure, go ahead." Vijay grinned.

Carefully Mike pulled out and they exited the car park. They were not far from the country roads and he put the car through its paces, marvelling at the things the car could do. More than once Mike had to gulp down the extra saliva, his mouth was producing.

Grinning like a loon, he headed back to the eatery. Parking up the car, he looked over to Vijay who had gone quiet, and Mike wondered what was on the man's mind. Surely, he wasn't going to give him a lecture?

"Mike, I wanted to talk to you... You see, even though Jyoti's my cousin, really she's my little sister, I love her to bits," _and here it comes_, thought Mike.

"You ever hurt her, and I will personally make sure that you pay for it dearly!" _and there it was_.

"Are you threatening me?" Mike asked soberly.

"No... I saw the picture in your wallet; I don't want to know who she is, I don't care, just why it isn't Jo?"

"It's an old picture, I kind-a forgot about it. I don't know why I've still got it; I'll change it, as soon as I get a photograph of her."

The man was only looking out for his cousin, and Mike felt a weird liking for him, he got a feeling that so long as he got rid of Sam's picture, that they would get along really well.

* * *

They went back to their meal, but for some reason Mike could not help but feel that they were being watched. Taking a bite out of his burger, he looked around him, trying to see who it was.

He continued to watch the restaurant, the people sitting at various tables and the people who came and went. Mike nearly jumped when he saw Tariq hover around the restaurant. In no time at all, Mike knew what he was going to do. He was reading Tariq like an open book and his eyes kept bouncing over to the sleek BMW in the car park.

"Oh Shit!" he muttered, Tariq was so predictable. Mike nudged Vijay, "Your car!"

Vijay's mouth fell open as he watched the thief climb into his car.

Mike jumped up, grabbing his own car keys he raced to follow, knowing that if he did not act fast, they would lose the perpetrators. Vijay followed him and jumped into the SUV. Mike drove as fast as he could, he could not afford to lose them. He remembered the thrashing he had received from Tariq, this time he was on his own, and it was going to be payback.

Reflecting quickly, he tried to imagine where Tariq would be taking the stolen car. Suddenly he remembered a disused car park, Tariq was sure to be heading there to meet his accomplice. Slowing down he followed at a discreet distance now. There was no way his former friend was getting out of this one.

He pulled into the car park and swung his truck around so that it blocked the only exit out. He turned to Vijay.  
"I want you to get in the car ready to get out of here, don't worry about me," he grunted.

"What are you going to do?" Vijay asked wide-eyed with fear.

"I've got a score to settle!"

* * *

Mike jumped from his truck, wishing that he'd grabbed his EMD from the back, but he didn't have time.

He ran towards Tariq, as he tried to escape from the car he had just stolen, but he was surprised when Tariq clamboured out himself and grabbed Mike's arm as he punched him in his face.

"You leave her alone! She's mine! Stay away from her!" He shouted at Mike.

Mike was not going to take this from Tariq anymore and he retaliated, he blocked his punch and sent him reeling into a wall behind him.

"WHO! Leave who alone!" He growled, grabbing him by the lapels of his leather jacket,

Mike held him pushed up against the wall. A look of sheer hatred in his eyes.

"Who? Leave who alone?" He thundered again.

"You know who I mean!" Tariq sneered.

"No! I don't. I've done what you've asked, I've left Samira alone." Mike punched him for being so cryptic.

"Jyoti! I mean Jyoti!" Tariq scowled as blood trickled from his lip.

Mike stepped back and let go, stung by his words.

How long had that been going on? Why didn't Jo say anything? How was he to know that they had gone out together?

"Get out of here!" Angrily he roared and punched the wall near Tariq's head. The pain that radiated from his knuckles was nothing compared to the pain which constricted in his chest.

Tariq took his opportunity and ran, as fast as he could.

Vijay watched from a distance, he hadn't heard the exchange between the two men, but he could tell that Mike was not happy. The look on Mike's features was a look of sheer frustration and anger. Carefully he approached him.

"Are you ok mate?" He asked quietly.

"I'm fine!" Mike grunted. He stomped away to his truck and got in.

Vijay took this as a signal to take his car back to where his cousins were waiting.

Mike drove back to the restaurant, fuming that Jo had not mentioned that she and Tariq had gone out together. How could she do this to him? She knew of his history, of how Tariq had messed in his life, how he continued to mess him around.

* * *

Arriving back at the eatery, Mike told Jo that they needed to get back to work, having arrived together, he could not just leave her to make her own way back. He drove back to the ARC quietly seething.

Jo noticed his quiet behaviour, his grim, broody look was back, and she began to wonder what had happened to make him act this way. She noticed how he drove with one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the gearstick in the middle of the floor. Carefully she reached out and placed her hand gently on top of his. She flinched as he pulled away from her, his action telling her more than words could, that he was angry about something.

"Mike... What's wrong?" she spoke quietly, her voice barely a whisper.

"Tariq! Tariq is what's wrong!" He grunted at her.

Jyoti gasped and voiced her concern, what had Tariq said for him to behave in this manner?

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me that you and Tariq were an item? Still an item?" He growled his eyes full of anger and loathing.

Soon they approached a level crossing; this particular one only had barriers on one side the other side clear. Mike rolled up onto the train line and stopped right on top of the tracks. Jyoti gasped as the lights started flashing – a train was coming and if they didn't move out of the way, they would be crushed to death; the speed of the oncoming train would kill them instantly.

The barriers came down behind them, the only way now, was forward, and Jyoti began to panic.

"What are you doing? We've _NEVER_ been an item! What are you on about?" She shouted her eyes wide and fearful.

"Tariq, he told me to leave you alone, WHY?" He shouted.

Jyoti gulped as she heard the horn of the approaching train.

"He's gone mad! He wanted to think of himself as my boyfriend, but that has _NEVER_ been true. I've _NEVER_ loved him! _IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU! ALWAYS_!" She sobbed, afraid that this could be the last thing she would ever say to him.

She clamped her eyes shut and held her breath, expecting the train to collide with the SUV in any moment, crushing them both...

* * *

_**Oh Dear...**_

_**Will the train crush them to death?**_

_**I hope you enjoyed that, there will hopefully be more later.**_

_**Please remember reviews are love, and help feed the ever hungry muse.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Mike Malonino**_

_**Chapter 1**_

_Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, I have just borrowed the characters for a little while._

_This one is slightly different from my usual. It is set in the Primeval Verse._

_It follows Connor's brother and will feature a back-story for Mike Malonino. You might want to Google some of the cast mentioned in Chapter 1 – My OC's are all Bollywood actors, and whilst I have used actors, the Characters I have created all belong to me._

**This Chapter is Dedicated to Juls 124... You know why.**

**Chapter 5**

* * *

_Soon they approached a level crossing; this particular one only had barriers on one side the other side clear. Mike rolled up onto the train line and stopped right on top of the tracks. Jyoti gasped as the lights started flashing – a train was coming and if they didn't move out of the way, they would be crushed to death; the speed of the oncoming train would kill them instantly._

_The barriers came down behind them, the only way now, was forward, and Jyoti began to panic._

_"What are you doing? We've NEVER been an item! What are you on about?" She shouted her eyes wide and fearful._

_"Tariq, he told me to leave you alone, WHY?" He shouted._

_Jyoti gulped as she heard the horn of the approaching train._

_"He's gone mad! He wanted to think of himself as my boyfriend, but that has NEVER been true. I've NEVER loved him! IT'S ALWAYS BEEN YOU! ALWAYS!" She sobbed, afraid that this could be the last thing she would ever say to him._

_She clamped her eyes shut and held her breath, expecting the train to collide with the SUV in any moment, crushing them both..._

* * *

Quickly Mike pressed his foot down on the accelerator, moving the car off the train line, missing the train by inches as it sped past.

Quietly he pulled over and he turned to her, "Tell me, tell me everything." Mike spoke gruffly, his anger barely dissipated.

Jyoti began to tell him of how she had gone to see Samira after her marriage, how Tariq had seen her run from the house, how he had listened to Aamir who had stirred things up. Aamir had spread more, lies telling him that Jyoti had announced her love for Tariq, and how Tariq had pursued her afterwards. She sobbed as she told him of how Tariq had become the bane of her life, following her everywhere, stalking her.

"How long has this been going on Jo?" He asked as she wept, deliberately keeping his distance. He needed to know where he stood, was he going to be constantly up against Tariq? For whom did she have feelings? Him or Tariq?

"Since Samira got married," She heaved, tears still rolling down her face.

"Nine Years?" Mike could not believe what he was hearing.

"He stopped for a little while, whilst I was doing my PhD. And then when I came back home he started up again. It's part of the reason why I don't live at home with Dad." Jo sobbed.

"Jo ... I've got to ask you this... I have to know... Do you have _any_ feelings for me?" Mike looked her in the eye, the pain in his chest grew; he could not bear it any longer.

"Mike? What makes you think ..." She paused breathing in deeply to stem her tears she continued. "It's _always _been you. ALWAYS. That last time we met, you'd given me a lift home, I was upset; I told you then that I liked you." She lifted her head to look into his eyes. "Even as a sixteen-year-old girl, I loved you. I tried to forget you, I really did; I did everything I could." She shook her head, reaching forward; she put her hand on his knee. "I have _always_ loved you; and there has _never_ been anyone else!"

Mike looked into her tear-filled face, into her eyes, and he knew that she spoke the truth, that since they had parted there had not been anyone else. His heart calmed. Gently Mike reached forward, he wiped a tear away from her face, and ever so tenderly, he kissed her. She had loved him for nine long years, years which they had spent apart, and now that he knew how she felt, he would be able to show her that he felt the same about her too.

* * *

A week later, Mike arranged to spend the evening with Jo. He had managed to book a table at a high-class restaurant across town.

He gazed into the mirror in front of him; he stroked his beard, and wondered if he should shave. Mike had deliberately kept his hair short, he seemed to prefer it that way, Connor had grown his hair and it was currently shoulder length. He also had in the habit of keeping a tiny bit of stubble.

Mike ran his hand over his hairy chin... Hmm... Time for a change he thought as he looked at the razor on the shelf. Smiling he lathered his face and picked up the blade. Slowly he dragged it across his face being careful not to cut himself.

He gazed at his reflection as he finished shaving; his skin was smooth, smoother than it had been for months. The only thing that stood out was a scar that ran along the edge of his chin. It was the only feature that separated him from Connor. Closing his eyes, he recalled the fight which had left him with it. Aamir had slashed him with a knife, across his face, before plunging the knife into Sister Mary's stomach.

Checking he had not cut himself, he smiled into the mirror; hopefully Jyoti would like his new look. Pulling out a pair of smart black jeans, a crisp white shirt, and a smart jacket from his wardrobe, he began to get dressed. Tonight he and Jyoti were going out for their first meal together. He began to whistle as he came down the stairs to leave and to drive over to Jyoti's flat.

* * *

Diane sat at the kitchen table wondering what had come over her eldest son. He had changed over the past month or so into a much happier, cheerful soul. He was no longer sad, grumpy, or gruesome, and it was a lovely change to hear him whistling an upbeat tune.

If she didn't know better, she would say that he had found a girl, and fallen head over heels in love. She smiled; it was time that the boy had some happiness in his life.

It had seemed that he had been given such a raw deal in his early years; first being taken from her when he had been born, having to grow up in an orphanage. As he grew, he had been sent from pillar to post, and had ended up working at a garage before being arrested for a murder that he didn't commit. Diane blamed herself for things that had gone wrong in his life, and now it seemed as if things were finally turning around.

Mike had come home whistling and now he was upstairs, getting ready to go out. She waited for him to come back downstairs. She smiled as she noticed his clean-shaven look; he trotted down the steps, quietly humming to himself. Diane noticed that his unkempt beard had gone, and she could not help thinking how dashing he looked.

"Mike dear!" She called out to him.  
He turned before going out, and sauntered into the kitchen. Smiling he greeted his mum; he leaned over her giving her a quick peck on the cheek. Diane was surprised, this was the first time he had greeted her like this, whatever was happening in her son's life, it was definitely a good thing!

"Why thank you," she smiled, and gestured for him to sit down for a moment. "Mike... Who is she?"

"What do you mean?" Mike frowned.

"Oh, come on Michael... I'm your mother... You may be able to pull the wool over my eyes regarding what you do at work, but when my grumpy son comes home whistling and humming, it usually means that he's happy, and at this stage of your life, the only thing that would make you this happy, has got to be a girl!" She smiled again.

"Is she pretty?" she asked softly, as he sat down.

"She's beautiful mum... She's got this smile..." he sighed contentedly, and grinned as he thought of Jo. "She's slim, her hair, and oh her eyes! Ah!" He closed his eyes and rested his head on his hand, his elbow resting on the table, he sighed happily, and a look of sheer ecstasy crossed his face.

"Tell me more..." she smiled. Mike winced; he wasn't supposed to tell Diane about her just yet, he had wanted to get to know her better. Find out if she felt the same for him. Now she would want to meet her and soon.

"What's there to say mum?"

"What does she do? How did you meet?" Diane got the feeling that Mike was about to clam up.

"Look if you don't want to tell me, fine, after all, Connor never told me when he met Abby." Diane feigned looking hurt; she sniffed, stood up, and turned to the sink.

Mike thought that he'd hurt her feelings and he kicked himself, "Look mum, I'm sorry, I just..." He stood up, and put his hand on her shoulder, she turned to face him, and he hugged her. "I'm sorry mum, I didn't mean to..."

He urged her to sit back down at the table.

There was a sound at the front door and Connor and Abby came in.

"How's Luke been?" Abby asked quickly, looking into the kitchen, a sense of dread started to fill her, she saw Mike and Diane sat around the table, and it reminded her of the chats she had as a little girl with her own mother, and it stirred up a sense of unease within her.

"Is everything alright?" She directed her question to Diane hoping that nothing had happened to her young son. "Is Luke alright?"

"Luke's fine, I've given him his tea, and I've just put him down for bed. I hope you don't mind, but he was rather tired today."

Abby still looked puzzled as to why Mike was sitting at the table like a naughty little boy. She looked at Connor as he came in behind her.

"Is everything alright? Abby asked getting concerned.

"Mike was just telling me about his girlfriend," Diane smiled.

"Who Jo?" she glanced at Mike who nodded.

"She's really lovely; I think you'll like her." Abby smiled as she began to relax.

"Yeah... Jo's really nice." Connor agreed nodding in agreement.

"Oh so, Abby and Connor have met her! I want to meet her!" Diane insisted. "I want you to bring her round for dinner!"

"But Mum!" Mike whined drawing out the word elongating it. "I need a bit more time mum. I can't just spring this on her straight away!"

"Oh come on that's not fair! I've met her, Abby's met her, Matt's met her, and even Emily has met her. The only person who hasn't is mum." Connor objected. Mike deflated and his head hit the kitchen table in despair, he whimpered softly.

Connor walked around and stood behind him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he urged him to sit up. He gazed at his brother.

"What would you do?"

"She's a nice girl, ask her if she'd mind, if she agrees, all well and good, if she doesn't, you wait." He paused. "Personally I think she's just right for you. I can tell she makes you happy. I've never felt so many happy vibes coming from you."

Mike pondered for a moment, and gazed at his mother. If Sister Mary had been alive, he would have taken Jyoti to see her for sure, since Samira no one else had touched his heart, now he had the support of his family around him, the others had met Jo already through work, and the only person that really mattered was here sat in front of him. Even though he saw his father Derek on a regular basis, the connection was not there and the only person he wanted Jo to meet was his mother.

"I'll try and organise something."

Diane smiled her plan had worked.  
"Do you want something to eat? Or are you eating out?" She asked; unaware of his plans that evening.

"We're eating out mum. I gotta go; I want to say a quick hello to her dad before going out."

He noticed the confused and hurt look on his mothers face.

"I've known them for years. Jyoti's father, he's a doctor; he saved my life once." Mike paused before telling his mother more. "Remember I said I worked as a mechanic, well the car I was working on collapsed on top of me. They managed to pull me out, but his quick thinking saved my life that day. I knew Jo and her father back then. It's only now that we're getting to know each other properly."

He put his jacket on and was preparing to leave, he thought about the woman who sat in front of him. A few years ago, he had hated her, but now not only was she the one he called mum, but alongside his brother, she had become a central figure in his life.

"And when are you two getting married?" Diane directed her attention to Connor and Abby, Mike grinned; at least she wasn't just focussing on him.

* * *

Arriving outside Jyoti's parental home, he straightened his tie once more. He checked his appearance. He noted the smart BMW outside their house and wondered if her father had bought a new car, or if they had guests. He wondered up to the front door.

Pressing the doorbell, he waited for Jyoti to answer. He was surprised when a young girl, a teenager opened the door.

"Hello?" she spoke softly with a clear voice.

"I'd like to see Dr Patel if possible?" He smiled and hoped that he was in.

"Come in," she led him to the lounge where Jo's father usually sat.

He greeted Jyoti's father and sat down I the sofa next to him, he was nervous, and he leaned forward, not daring to sit back in the sumptuous leather couch. It was not long afterwards that Jo came in wearing a very nice black evening dress, not too long, not too short and Jo looked stunning. Mike found his mouth going dry once more.

"Can you come here a moment," she beckoned. He stood and followed her to the dining room, "There's someone I want you to meet."

She opened the door and was immediately greeted by a short, but slim woman in a beautiful pale blue sari. Whoever this woman was she clearly looked after herself, and knew what suited her.

"This is my Auntie Meena, my mother's sister. She means a lot to me, and she stepped into the role of my mother when my own mum passed away. I respect her, and her opinion." Jyoti explained.

Mike smiled and then he remembered something, he had once seen Jyoti do, she had touched her father's feet. When he had asked what the action had meant she had told him that the action was a sign of respect. He wondered now, should he?

He looked into Jo's eyes, bent down and touched the woman's feet. He relaxed when the tiny woman's face erupted joyfully, she hugged him, and from her reaction, Mike understood that he had scored some major points, with the woman approving him for her niece.

Jyoti grinned, she knew this one simple action meant the world to her auntie, and she knew that Mike would bend over backwards trying to please her family. A trait that she would encourage as much as she could.

They spoke politely for a while, Mike answering various questions regarding his family, his background, and his job. Although Mike was tight lipped about his employment, he told her everything else.

Mike gestured to Jo, if they didn't go now, they would be late for the table that Mike had booked at an upmarket restaurant.

Jyoti spoke to her father and told him that she would not be back home later that evening, she was going to let Mike take her back to her own flat closer to the ARC.

Jyoti and Mike enjoyed the dinner, that had been presented; Jyoti had chosen a chicken dish with seasonal vegetables, whilst Mike had asked for the roast beef. They enjoyed chatting as they waited for their meal Jyoti told him of how she liked his clean, shaven look and hoped that he would not go back to keeping a beard. They exchanged stories of things they liked to do, growing up and finally they talked about the Samira, Tariq, and Aamir. There was no sadness or bitterness regarding their former friends, they just talked, as they ate, reminiscing about things that had happened.

* * *

After the meal, Mike walked with Jyoti back to the car. They had parked it a distance away and the air had grown cold. Mike watched as Jyoti shivered. They stood by the edge of the river as they watched it flow past. He stood behind her and rubbed her shoulders, he revelled in the feel of her soft skin underneath his touch. How she melted into his warm embrace. Taking off his jacket, he put it around her shoulders, holding her close to him. He leaned down to kiss her.

"No..." she whispered.

"Why?" Mike was taken aback.

"Because you've just eaten a roast, I'm not kissing you until you've brushed your teeth."

Mike frowned and then it dawned on him why she was reluctant... He had eaten roast beef. He kicked himself, Hindus didn't eat beef, and he recalled someone had once told him that Hindus revered the cow and would not eat or harm the animal in any way.

How could he have been so unobservant?

He wondered if he would have to give up anything to be with her. Would he have to change religion? To marry Samira he would have had to follow the Muslim faith, was this the case with Jo? Would he have to change dramatically to be with her?

He sighed heavily. They were going to have to talk.

He became quiet on the journey home and Jyoti wondered if she had been awkward about insisting that she was not going to kiss him because of something he had eaten, was she being unrealistic?

Mike drove in silence to her flat; hundreds of questions went through his mind as he automatically followed the route that led to her abode.

Arriving outside he parked the car and turned off the engine. He reached for her hand, holding her inside the car, preventing her from exiting.

"Jo can I come in for a minute?"

Jo looked into his troubled eyes, and wondered why he felt the need to ask.

"No funny business?"

"No, not tonight. I want to talk to you about a few things..."

She noticed his changed mood, this evening during the meal, he had been happy and chatty, but now he was the complete opposite. She nodded, and calmly walked to her front door.

Mike gulped and locked his car before following her in.

"Would you like some coffee?" She asked as he entered her home.

"Yes please," he followed her to her kitchen where she filled the kettle before flicking the switch for it to boil.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

Mike was perplexed. He led her back to the living room and sat down on the sofa. He didn't know what he wanted to do. He was beginning to fall in love with Jyoti, but the thought that he would have to change drastically for her, did not sit well with him.

"Where are we going Jo? What's happening between us?" He looked up at her bemused face and he reached up to her. Pulling her down to sit close to him, he put his arm around her shoulder pulling her closer still.

"I mean ... I like you Jo. I like you a lot. I want more from our relationship. I'd like to think that eventually we can be together, as a couple. How do you feel? Do you feel the same?"

Jyoti sat for a moment putting her own thoughts and feelings together. As far as her own feelings went, she knew she wanted more. She didn't just want him to like her; she wanted him to love her just as she did.

"Yes, I'd like that, be more of a couple, spend more time with each other." Jyoti smiled, hoping that he would not get the wrong idea.

"You see if we go down the becoming a couple route..." He paused, racking his brains as how to say this without blurting it out. Deciding that there was no easy way out, he asked. "Will I have to change?"

"Change what?" Jyoti was confused.

"You know, change religion, and stop eating certain foods, that sort of thing?"

Jyoti shifted away, and sat at an angle facing him, still holding his hand, a perplexed look on her face.

"Why would you want to do that? I don't want you to change; I like you the way you are!"

"Well ... I thought I'd have to change religion, practice your religion, I don't know why... I just assumed that it would have to be that way." Mike shrugged.

"I don't want you to do anything you don't want to." Jyoti reassured him leaning closer.

"But you minded that I'd eaten a roast tonight."

Jyoti giggled.

"I really don't mind what you eat; just don't expect me to give you a kiss after you've eaten beef. It's just a personal thing. The idea of kissing you after you'd eaten your meal... Urgh!" She shuddered.

"So if I were to... Brush my teeth now or something, you'd be OK with that?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"Depends..."

"On what?" Mike began to get worried. What wasn't she telling him?

"How much further you want go afterwards... I mean are you just happy with a kiss?" Jyoti averted her eyes, almost knowing what his answer would be, knowing that he wanted more than just a kiss.

Mike regarded her carefully. He had just told her that he liked her, that he wanted her to consider a future together. Did she not love him? He just could not see what she wanted from this relationship.

"I don't think I could stop at just a kiss, I want more than just that."

Jyoti gasped, she closed her eyes. He had just told her of his intentions, and it shook her, all the way down to the tips of her toes. She bit her lip, as she tried to tell him what was on her mind. She stood up to move away from him. She wanted him too, but not this way. Not before ...

"Mike, don't take this the wrong way, I want that too, but not before marriage. I want us to be married before we ..." She chewed her lip, floundering, searching for the words she was looking for. "Before we ... do the Deed..."

Mike cleared his throat and gulped, she wanted him to wait, wait until they were married.

"I think I'd best go..." He stood up wanting to leave as soon as possible, he wasn't sure if he could just sit here without touching her, wanting to kiss her, make love to her.

"Mike please don't go!" She began to plead. "There's so much more we need to talk about."  
Her voice strained, she really didn't want him to go. They had been making so much progress and she enjoyed his company. So much so, that she didn't want him to leave, not like this, with a bee in his bonnet!

She watched as his hands fisted by his sides, her stomach clenched not knowing if he would stay or go.

"Jo... I want ..." He huffed. "I want to snog you senseless, and make love to you until the sun comes up, and then you throw in the 'No Sex, Before Marriage'... What do you want from tonight?" He blurted out, words tumbling out of his mouth, faster than normal.

"Mike, you said yourself, we need to talk ... Iron out some things. We've barely covered anything, there is s_o _much more we need to talk about, I love you, and I don't want you to go. I'll put up with your kisses, but the lovemaking... that still stands." She took in the look on his face, and reached for his hand.

"It's important to me; I want to save myself ... for my future husband... And I'm hoping that it'll be you."

She stepped closer to him, hoping that if she let him kiss her he wouldn't leave, but she could not help but stiffen when he held her shoulders.

Mike felt her become rigid under his touch, he could tell she was still reluctant, he glanced past her to a shelf on the wall, and he noticed something, possibly a small temple, his eyes fell on a small statue, that of a cow, and suddenly this felt wrong, still he leaned down, and then gently, he kissed her cheek.

"Let's do this properly, eh? Can I borrow your toothbrush?" He moved away from her, letting go of her shoulders.

"No..." she smiled. "There's a brand new toothbrush in the bathroom cupboard." She raised an eyebrow.

Mike ran to the bathroom, Jyoti giggled again, she had never seen anyone move so fast.

"Whatever you do - don't use mine!" She shouted across the hall.

"What colour is the new one?" Mike called back.

"The yellow one!" Jyoti stood up and went to join him.

Walking in behind him, she reached around him and pointed to a toothbrush, still in its packaging.

"Thanks." With that, he began to brush his teeth.

"Don't forget the mouthwash."

Mike tried to smile as best as he could.

* * *

Jyoti disappeared into the kitchen to make some coffee; hopefully it would take his mind off things if they were sat at the table with mugs of steaming hot coffee in front of them.

She was setting the coffee on the table, when Mike returned. She gasped as he moved a stray lock of hair away from her face, his fingers brushing gently across her face, causing her heart to flutter as he did so. He stood close to her and ran his fingers through her hair, sending delightful shivers down her body; gently he leaned down and kissed her soft lips. Slowly she began to return his kiss, pushing her own hands into his hair, pulling him closer to her, deepening their kiss. She opened her mouth letting his tongue enter. He tasted of toothpaste, his tongue danced with hers, and she melted as his hands began to roam her body, pulling her closer still.

They gasped for air as their lips parted.

"Mike can I ask you something?" She began quietly, snuggling into his chest. "If we get married will I be Mrs Temple or Mrs Malonino?

"I guess you'll be Mrs Malonino. Why do you ask?"

"Dr Jyoti 'Bad Boy''" She pulled a face. "I much prefer Temple. Dr Jyoti Temple – It has a ring to it." She smirked.

"Are you making fun of me?"

"No, not at all." She smiled and gestured to the coffee that sat on the table, and they sat down.

Mike reached for her hand, not wanting to break contact between them.

"What else were we talking about?" he asked, knowing that they both had lots on their minds.

"We were talking about us ... About what we wanted in the future ... You asked if you'd have to change to be with me, change your religion, what you meant by that." Jyoti stared into her coffee, this was clearly on his mind, and if they could talk through things now, they could move on.

Mike wondered if he should bring up Samira again, but they'd been talking about Sam and her brother all evening, surely she wouldn't mind. He explained his conversation with Tariq and how he'd been told he would have had to change his religion to be with her. How he'd felt that he wouldn't be able to do it.

"I'm sure we could work through things, I'll go to the church if you'll come to the temple with me." Mike looked at her, this sounded like a good possibility. He nodded.

"And as far as food goes, you eat what you like; just don't eat it here in the flat, or at the house. I don't see why it should be a problem." Mike smiled. This sounded reasonable; he glanced back at the temple behind her, something wasn't right and he couldn't put a finger on it. He held her hand when she reached for him, feeling a rush of adrenaline when he touched her.

"I do want us to be a couple, one day I want us to get married, settle down and have children, but in that order, I don't think I could live with myself if I fell pregnant before getting married." She looked into his chocolate brown eyes which questioned her.

"It's not just that, it's just a personal thing; I've known too many girls who fall pregnant before getting married, and then the guy has just left her to bring up the baby on her own. I don't want that ... I guess I want forever..."

Mike sat for a moment digesting what she had just said. He thought of his own childhood without either parent. No, he didn't want that for his children. He wanted to be there, hopefully together, with Jyoti.

The idea of children born in wedlock wasn't something he'd thought about. But the thought of no lovemaking before marriage would drive him crazy. He was finding it hard keeping away from her as it was.

He drank his coffee quickly.  
"I think I should head home," he stood up to leave.

"Mike, must you really go?" Jo implored.

"I don't want to go, but I think it's best if I did. Who knows what I'd do to you if I didn't." He put on his jacket.

"I think that you're stronger than you think you are, and that you'd be a perfect gentleman if you stayed." Jyoti stood up and followed him to the door.

"You have such a high opinion of me, something I'm not. I don't want to let you down. I should go before I do something we both regret." He opened the front door and stepped out into the pouring rain.

Jyoti's heart sank, she really wanted him to stay, but maybe it would be better this way, especially if he felt that he would not be able to keep his hands to himself.

Suddenly there was a familiar tone ringing out. Mike reached into his back pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. He glanced back at Jo as he stepped under the storm shelter above her door.

"It's Connor," he mouthed to her as he answered it. "Connor what's up?" He paused listening to his brother on the other end. "Really, has she been flooded?" His eyes were wide with disbelief. "I was on my way home... It's best to stay here, you say." He blinked. "OK ... If I must. I'll see you tomorrow... Bye." He disconnected and looked up at her.

"The area around Mum's house has been flooded; they've closed off the only access road. Looks like I'm stuck here until morning." He gave a small smile.

Jyoti stepped back as he re-entered her flat. She tried to hide her joy.

"Has she been flooded?" She asked out of politeness.

"No, but the people down the road have been moved out. Connor and Abby are staying with her tonight. Connor just rang so that I wouldn't try to get through an impassable road."

"So, you'll stay after all?" Jyoti smiled.

"Looks like it." Mike smirked.

"Promise you won't try anything?"

"I'll try not to." Mike huffed.

Jyoti grinned. She turned and led him to the bedroom.

He looked at the sumptuous double bed, but expected Jyoti to take out some bedding for him to sleep on the couch. He was surprised when she came back holding her nightie.

"I think the bed is big enough for both of us." She smiled shyly.

"I thought you wanted the 'No Sex, Before Marriage' thing?"

"Oh, I do ... But ... I trust you ... Unless that is you'd rather sleep on the couch..." She gazed up at him.

Mike's heart sank, the woman he loved was offering to share her bed, and expected him to keep his hands to himself, did she not realise how torturous this was? How much self-control she expected from him? That no matter how hard he tried, he was doomed to fail?

He gazed into those brown eyes, so full of trust, full of expectations, so full of love. He wasn't sure if he could do this, but this young woman had opened up her heart, she had told him exactly what she wanted, of how far she was prepared to go, of the exceptions she was prepared to make, and he felt a determination not to let her down.

"If you don't mind Jo, I'll take the couch." He noticed her expression change.

"Look, you may trust me, but I don't. I'm not sure I could behave myself, after all they don't call me Mike Malonino for nothing."

Suddenly there was a loud crash; the sound of breaking glass filled the air. Mike turned quickly; someone had thrown a brick through Jyoti's windowpane. He looked out of the ground floor window and saw a hooded figure running in the shadows. Quickly he grabbed his keys and instructing Jo to stay inside the flat, he began to give chase.

He had not driven far, but in a short space of time, he had lost the hooded thug. Feeling sullen, he drove back to Jyoti's flat.

He blinked when he saw the police cars outside. He huffed; this was not looking good for him, not with his police record. They were bound to ask all manner of questions. He would be lucky if he wasn't arrested. Still he wanted to ensure that Jyoti was ok, and cautiously he entered her home.

"Jo... Jo..." he called from the front door. Slowly he edged past the policeman on the front door who was giving him weird looks.

"Jo, are you ok?" He asked as he entered her living room.

Jyoti was sat on the sofa; there was a brick and a piece of paper on the coffee table. Her face was red, her mascara had run, and big fat tears rolled down her cheeks. The sight of her like this broke his heart. He knelt down in front of her, and he pulled a tissue from the box on the coffee table.

"And you are?" A woman spoke from behind him. Mike looked around and he noticed the policewoman who stood behind him.

"I... I... I'm ..." He stuttered, beginning to get nervous.

"He's my boyfriend," Jo blurted out; she reached out to him, grabbed his shoulders, and pulled him towards her.

He felt her shudder and shake as she cleaved to him. Whatever had happened; had really shaken her and all he wanted to do, was hold her close until she stopped crying. He smiled inwardly, she had called him her boyfriend, and that meant ever so much to him.

"And your name sir?" The policewoman asked politely.

"Mike, Mike Malonino" He winced, knowing that she would find a long list of misdemeanours when she plugged his name into the police records.

"Jo, what's upset you so much?" He questioned, concerned because her wracking sobs had not subsided.

"That ..." She heaved, pointing to the paper on the table beside her.

Mike picked it up, the scrunched up paper had obviously been wrapped around the brick, and thrown in through her window.

Slowly he began to read.

'_He is no good for you, you deserve better. _

_What have I ever done to upset you? Give me a chance. I can prove to you that I can be better than him!'_

The note was obviously for her, but it was not signed and Mike wondered if she had any other boyfriends she had not told him about. But the scrawled handwriting was strangely familiar.

"Take back who, Jo? What does this mean?" He looked at her keeping her at arms' length, watching her as she sobbed. "Who thinks I'm not good enough for you, who sent this?" He watched as she wiped her face.

"It's Tariq; he's been following me again. He's trying to get me to go out with him. Him and that creep, Aamir, they've found me again. They'll call and," she screwed up her face and fresh tears cascaded down her face. "They say the most _disgusting_things..."

"What sort of things do they say Jo?" His voice was slow, low, and purposeful.

Jyoti looked into his eyes, the rage behind them, frightened her. She could not possibly tell him. The knowledge would tear him apart. She bit her lip in despair, more tears rolled down her face.

"Miss Patel, please answer the question, what sort of things do they say?" The policewoman encouraged.

Jyoti closed her eyes, quiet sobs wracked through her. The policewoman noticed this and bent down to crouch in front of her.

"Would you be able to tell me if Mr Malonino wasn't here?" She asked softly.

Not daring to make eye contact with Mike, she nodded. She couldn't say anything whilst he was around.

Fury bubbled in Mike's gut, he was reluctant to leave her like this, but he knew he had no choice. The look on her face told him lots more. That whatever was on her mind was troubling her so much that she could not say anything in front of him, and whatever it was, had to be really revolting.

He seethed as he stood up and was escorted from the room by one of the police officers present. He tried not to put up resistance; he knew that if he did, there was a good chance that he would be arrested.

Feeling useless, he stood outside, clenching his teeth, every minute away from Jo was gnawing at his insides, and a hatred for his former friend burned away in his stomach. He knew what Tariq was capable of, the way his dark and filthy mind worked, and he knew that if he ever crossed paths with him again, he would find it hard not to beat him to a pulp.

* * *

Soon the policewoman talking with Jo called him back inside, Mike rushed to her side, not wanting to be away from her a moment longer.

Putting his hatred aside, he went to her, reaching for her, he held her, the simple action, soothing her and her tears subsided and eventually she stopped crying.

The police would try to find Tariq, tonight and they would arrest him for criminal damage. They took the letter with them for fingerprints, Mike cringed, this was going to come back to haunt him, the police would find his prints on the letter and on record and questions would be asked.

The police said that an officer would stay throughout the night to ensure that Tariq did not come back, and asked if Mike would be staying the night.

"Yes, I'll be staying; I was going to stay anyway." He sighed as the police left.

He looked around him to the broken window. Someone had placed some plastic over the top, it kept out the rain, but the wind still managed to get through.

Looking at his watch, he noted the time – 1.15 am. It had been a long night, and Mike coaxed Jyoti into the bedroom. His aim was to stay with her until she fell asleep and then sleep on the sofa.

"Stay with me?" Jyoti looked into his eyes and shivered involuntarily. She really didn't want to be alone tonight.

Gently he leaned down and kissed her forehead, nodding.

Jyoti disappeared into the bathroom and emerged a short time later dressed in her nightie. She climbed into bed where Mike had already stripped down to his boxers and lay, in bed, waiting for her. Looking across to him she noted that his earlier lust filled eyes had gone, replaced by ones full of understanding, care and love.

Lying on his side, he pulled her closer until her back rested against his chest. He felt her shivers decrease, until eventually, they stopped.

"Jo..." He spoke softly. "Are you awake?"

"Yes," she replied, her voice steady and calm.

Gently Mike squeezed her. Drawing her as close as possible. There was one thing on his mind and one thing only.

"Jo... You said to the police that he'd say the most disgusting things to you... What would he say?" He sighed heavily. He wanted to share the pain she was going through, it was obvious that she was hurting, and all Mike wanted to do was be there for her.  
"Please Jo... Tell me." His voice was gentle and soft, no anger, no rage in it at all.

He felt her grip on his arm tighten. A huff escaped her lips.  
"He would ... Tell me... In detail..." She gulped as another tear rolled from her eyes and onto the pillow. "What he'd like to do to me."

Mike did not have to be able to see her to know that she was upset again; he could feel it, the way her body drew closer to his. The way she paused throughout what she said to him. She didn't have to say anymore for Mike to know that Tariq had been harassing her. That the things that he told her, were exactly the things she didn't want, and because of it, he forced himself to be patient, to wait until the time was right, to respect her wishes that she remained a virgin.

In response to her telling him, he hugged her and kissed her hair. His sweet actions soothing her once more and she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_**I hope you enjoyed that, there will hopefully be more later.**_

_**Please remember reviews are love, and help feed the ever hungry muse.**_

Oh a message for my Guest reviewer, at least have the courage to leave your name.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Mike Malonino**_

_Primeval belongs to Impossible Pictures, I have just borrowed the characters for a little while._

_This story is set in the Primeval Verse._

_It follows Connor's brother and will feature a back-story for Mike Malonino. You might want to Google some of the cast mentioned in Chapter 1 – My OC's are all Bollywood actors, and whilst I have used actors, the Characters I have created all belong to me._

**Chapter 6**

* * *

Mike awoke to the sound of a tiny bell. It rang briefly and then stopped. Then he could hear the sound of a woman singing softly. He looked around the room, he was clearly not in his own bed, and he wasn't sure where he was. He sat up; looking around him, he began to remember why he was in Jyoti's bedroom and what he was doing there.

Thinking back to the night before, he remembered being with Jyoti when Tariq had thrown a brick through her windowpane. The event had upset Jo so much that she had not wanted to be alone and had insisted that he stay with her in her bed. He had wanted to support her as much as possible.

He looked down; he remembered stripping down to just his boxers, he tried to remember if he had done anything to harm her, she had told him that she wished to remain a virgin until their wedding and he wasn't sure if he'd be able to do it. But the meal and the chat afterwards, the brick through the window had made sure they were too tired to do anything. He smiled; he had managed to keep his hands to himself after all.

Slowly he stood up and finding his trousers, he put them on before venturing towards the door. Stepping out he looked around. The flat was small, but tidy, looking around some more he found the person singing.

It was Jyoti; she was dressed smartly, yet casually, her hair was still wet from having been washed. He tried to make out what she was singing and to where her attention was directed, but the words were something he had never heard before. As he approached, he saw the rosary beads in her hand and although he didn't understand the words, it became clear that she was chanting in prayer.

Venturing closer still, he saw the small shelf, clearly a small temple. He could see the small statues, the figurine of a small cow; the small elephant with the body of a man, the statue of what looked like a small child, with a peacock feather sticking out of his hair.

It was then, that Jyoti felt his presence and she turned around to face him. She glanced down at his bare feet, continuing to chant as she did so. She smiled and turned back and carried on with her prayers.

Mike watched her for a moment, her voice soothing, calming and he felt confident knowing that she looked and felt better than she did last night. He remembered holding her until they both fell asleep, feeling her warm body against his.

Turning around he ventured into the kitchen. Going inside he noticed various breakfast items had been put out. Corn flakes, milk, a loaf of bread, marmalade, and margarine had been put on the side, along side a kettle of water, tea bags, and a jar of coffee. He smiled; she had even put the mugs out.  
Gingerly he touched the side of the kettle – Cold. Ensuring it was plugged in he turned it on.

Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, he prepared two mugs of tea. Then he leaned against the door frame watching her finish her prayers. He recalled a similar instance when he had watched Sam saying her prayers. The two were very different.

* * *

That day Jyoti did not go into work. She rang Lester and told him that she would be available in case of an emergency, she needed to get someone to fix her broken window and although she felt better knowing that Tariq would leave her alone for a little while, she still needed to tidy her flat.

Mike felt perturbed, he knew that Tariq had been enraged at seeing him there and wondered how long it would be until he struck again.

* * *

Matt was standing chatting to Connor and Abby in his office when he saw Mike stomp through on his way to the hub. He looked miserable, and Matt could help but comment.

"I bet I know why..." Abby stated a wry smile on her face.

"Go on..." Matt prompted.

"Jo's not here... He usually goes to see her at least once or twice a day, sometimes even more. Then he usually meets her for lunch too." Abby grinned.

"So what's stopping them from getting together?" Connor asked.

"He doesn't realise how much he loves her." Abby told them. "I'm not sure if he's told her how he feels about her."

"One of us is going to have to have words with him, aren't we?" Matt gazed at Connor.

"We'll do it together..." Connor smiled.

"Later, we'll finish talking about theory of yours Connor and then we'll go and talk to him."

* * *

After they had finished their meeting, Matt and Connor managed to track Mike down. He was in the ARC gymnasium, currently pulling punches on a punch bag.

Connor sighed, if it wasn't Becker having a go at that poor bag, it was Mike, beating it like there was no tomorrow. Connor gritted his teeth and tried to separate his emotions from those coming from Mike. He could tell his brother was feeling miserable today, he could feel his dour, doleful, and depressing mood.

Matt and Connor stood watching him; they waited until he felt their presence and turned.

"Yes." He hissed. He looked down at the ground by their feet not wanting to make eye contact.

"You gonna tell us what's wrong?" Matt enquired.

"What do you mean?" He glared at his brothers.

"Ok, just answer this... as close to the truth as possible. Do you feel sad, unhappy, and miserable?" Connor questioned.

Mike nodded slowly unsure of where this was leading.

"And how do you feel when a certain young doctor is around? Quite the opposite?" Connor raised his eyebrows at Mike's unconvinced reaction. "You forget; I always know what you are feeling."

Mike's hands fisted at his sides and he glared once more at his twin. Matt saw his reaction.

"Hey calm down, Connor's got a point!" Matt sighed. "The last few weeks when I've seen you with her, you're a changed man. – Smile on your face, happiness, you look different, behave differently, when you're with her, you even laugh, it's one of the few times I've heard you. That's all down to her."

Mike walked over to a bench and sat down, his head in his hands elbows on his knees; his brothers joined him sitting either side.

"Why don't you ring her?" Matt suggested calmly putting an arm around his younger brother.

"And say what?"

"Get an excuse to talk to her. Find out if there's anything you can do to help her." Matt rolled his eyes.

Mike smiled thinly. The idea wasn't a bad one and he could give it a go.

His gruff demeanour changed the minute he started to dial her number, and a ghost of a smile appeared on his lips as she answered.

It wasn't long afterwards he was smiling properly and his mood lifted for the rest of the day.

* * *

"Mum!" Mike cringed elongating the word; she had just taken a bag of meat from the freezer. "You're not making Roast are you?"

"Yes, I am... Why, she's not vegetarian is she?" Diane jumped, flustered that she was about to cook something that her son's girlfriend couldn't eat.

"She's not a veggie, but I can't remember which meat she doesn't eat." Mike knew of the cultural differences, but for the life of him could not remember which was which. Whether it was pork or beef that Jyoti didn't eat. He turned to look at Abby who was giving Luke his snack. She smiled and picked up her phone.

"I can't remember mum!" Mike panicked. He ran his fingers through his hair for the tenth time that morning.  
Suddenly, Abby's phone beeped, she sighed, smiling she read the text message that had popped up.

"It is beef she doesn't eat, you'll be fine making pork mum," Abby, continued to smile. She looked at Mike as he raised his eyebrows at her.  
"I texted her, asking if pork was ok."

Diane relaxed, and huffed at her clearly nervous son. He was beginning to annoy her; it was if the Queen of Sheba was coming to visit, he had helped her tidy the house, making sure everything was spick and span, he had even offered to vacuüm the place, which Diane had quite happily let him do, but now he was making a nuisance of himself in the kitchen, and she just wished he would sit down and let her get on.

Diane had asked Emily to find out if there was anything to avoid in Jyoti's diet and she had been very sensible and had told her promptly which meats to avoid. She shooed him out of the kitchen and told him to help Matt and Connor set the table, they still had half an hour before he would have to set off to pick her up.

Matt and Connor, having set the table were now sat in front of the telly, watching the football, a game that Matt was only just getting to grips with. Emily was helping Diane in the kitchen, they always got on well together, and often they would swap details on how to do things around the house, in turn, Diane had shown her how to make Matt's favourite dish – Pizza.

Matt and Connor sniggered at Mike as he struggled with his emotions; even they had noticed how he couldn't sit still and how he had repeatedly checked everything umpteen times over.

"Mum!" Mike got up and walked into the kitchen.

Diane held a huge meat knife in her hand and she looked over at her son impatiently.

"I'm going to..." he noticed her stance, and he decided to choose his words carefully, not wanting to upset his mum anymore, he opted to tell her that he was going to fill up the car with petrol before going to pick her up, this would make sure that he was out of the house and would give him some time to kill before he returned with Jo.

* * *

With the car now full of petrol, Mike arrived outside Jyoti's flat, he noticed the car parked outside and knew that she had company. Slowly he made his way over to the front door and pressed the bell. He pushed door when it had buzzed allowing him entry to the block of flats.

He glanced at the flowers in his hand and then waited for the door to open. Meena Auntie smiled as she opened the door.

"Oh thank you Mike, you really didn't have to..." She grinned, knowing for whom he had brought the flowers. Mike smiled falsely and offered them to her anyway.

She shook her head, "Go on, I know who would really like those." She indicated with her head behind her to where Jo was standing.

Mike's mouth fell open, he had never seen Jyoti wearing a sari before, and the sight of her in her traditional dress, astounded him, taking his breath away.

Jyoti looked resplendent in her shimmering pale blue sari; it glittered as she sashayed towards him, looking almost as if she were gliding as she walked.

"I wasn't sure what to wear, is this alright?" Jyoti pursed her lips together.

"Mike!" She shook him when he didn't respond.

"Yeah... You look..." Mike was lost for words, how could he tell her how eye-catching she looked? His brain refused to work at the sight of her.

"Meena Auntie! I'm going to get changed, this isn't right; I'm going to put on a dress." She whined, panicking at his absent reaction.

"Jyoti, don't, please don't!" Mike replied, finally finding his tongue.

"What I mean to say is that you look absolutely..." he paused trying to find a word. "Gorgeous, beautiful, stunning!"

"Oh God, STOP IT!" Vijay quipped from his side, pretending to gag. "You're beginning to make me sick."

Mike grinned as he shook the younger man's hand.

"I've just got to add a few finishing touches, and I'll be with you," Jyoti relaxed she took the flowers and gave them to her Aunt to put into water.

She disappeared into her bedroom.

"Listen Vijay, Can I ask you something?" He turned to her cousin.

"I've got this tune in my head, do you know it?" Mike began whistling a tune.

Vijay smiled as he recognised the melody, "I know the tune, a love song." He mused, grinning, as Mike's mouth fell open once more, this time in horror.

"Tell me what it means," Mike ordered, then changing his mind he added. "Please."

Vijay chuckled,

"OK, humme tumhse pyaar kitna, it means 'I don't know how much I love you,'" he paused, as he muttered the next bit to translate.

"But I do know; that I can't live without you."

Vijay grinned even more at Mike's obvious discomfort.

"I've been whistling that at work." Mike grunted, annoyed that he'd been whistling to such unmanly lyrics. The meaning behind them softened him a little, and the consolation was; that nobody else, apart from those with an Asian background would know what they meant.

He tongued his cheek; maybe this tune would highlight to Jyoti how he felt about her.

They said a quick goodbye to Auntie Meena and Vijay, and then they set off. Jyoti strapped herself in and checked her face in the sunshade mirror. Satisfied with her appearance she began to worry about meeting Diane Temple.

Mike frowned as he drove.

Jyoti looked over. "Is everything OK?" she asked nervously.

"Something's wrong with the car, I think something might be broken, I keep hearing a metal clinking against metal noise."  
Jyoti tucked a lock loose of hair behind her ear.

"There!" he glanced at her. "Did you hear that?"

"Like that?" Jyoti raised her wrist and twisted it several times. She smiled at Mike as he glanced at the many beautiful bangles that jangled on her wrist.

"Just like that!" He grinned, having found the source of the noise, pleased that it wasn't something in the car.

* * *

Arriving outside the Temple household, he parked the car and then he slowly began to whistle her favourite tune, Jyoti could not help but sing along under her breath.

"You know, those words are just right, they describe how I feel about you."

Jo gasped. "You know the meaning?"

"Vijay told me. I think they are sweet, so very apt." He smiled, his eyes glinting.

He walked around the car and held her door open as she blushed.

Jyoti smiled as she picked up the bunch of flowers she had brought for Mrs Temple. She had not wanted to come empty-handed and this small gesture was the best she could think of at short notice. She had initially wanted to bring chocolates. But Abby had told her that Diane was Diabetic and would not be able to enjoy them.

Standing side by side, she waited for Mike to open the door. Her stomach began to churn, and she felt nauseous at the thought of meeting Mike's mother. Her fears dissipated as Diane came to the open door.

"There you are." She waited for them to enter, and then hugged Jyoti. "Beautiful, you're everything Mike's said about you."

Jyoti's eyes questioned Mike as she began to wonder what he had told his mum. Entering the house, she bent down to touch Diane's feet preparing to explain herself as she did so. But she didn't have to; Mike had already told her to expect this greeting and its respectful meaning.

Slowly Jyoti began to relax as she was led into the living room. Matt, Connor, Emily, and Abby immediately put her at ease, their close relationship at work, helping her to relax.

Soon they were laughing and joking as they sat around the table eating lunch. Sharing tales of how they had met.

Diane smiled, she loved seeing her extended family together; years ago it was just her and Connor, but now since Mike and Matt had come along, she loved throwing dinner parties and enjoyed getting everyone sitting at the table eating, she wished Derek had joined her, but she knew that he was fast becoming a solitary fellow who kept himself to himself.

Once they had finished talking about how they met, Connor piped up with another question.

"What attracted you to your partner? We'll start with ... Matt"

"Let me think ... Initially it was her hair, but then as we got to know each other, I liked the way she defends herself, she's not completely helpless." He grinned.

"Emily?"

"I like his accent, the way he talks; I could listen to him all day. I also like the way he leads." She smiled as she turned to Abby. "Your turn."

"'K... What I like about Connor ... Hmm ... Tough one." She sighed happily. "Everything. Yes, I know it's a bit cliché, but we've known each other for a long time. We know each other inside out. He's changed over the years, I liked him when we first met, he was kind-a geeky and clever with it, but he under estimated himself all the time; and it took ages for him to come out of his shell. I adore who he is now, and how he takes responsibility for his actions. No matter how tough they are."

Slowly they went round the table, and it was Connor's turn next.

"When I first saw you," he paused wondering if he should tell her the truth, "I liked your hair," he lied. "Then I got kicked out of my flat and you let me stay at your place. That's when I noticed your bum."

Mike gulped, remembering how he had stared at Jyoti's bottom when he had gone to her office. He paled; there was no way he was revealing that!

"And now it's Jo's turn," Connor turned to Jyoti.

"Jyoti doesn't have to say anything she doesn't want to; I think Mike should go next." Diane interjected. Jyoti was after all a guest and she didn't want her to be embarrassed about anything.

Mike blanched; He was not prepared for this! He turned his head to look at Jyoti, who raised her eyebrows at him.

Without thinking Mike spoke.

"Her eyes, it was the eyes that did it. I shall never forget the first time I looked into her eyes." Mike's mouth went into autopilot. "She was sixteen, and I was twenty, I'd given her a lift home from school; she was really upset. It was then that I noticed her eyes." Mike's tone dropped as he stared into her eyes, and the table went quiet. It was so silent, that you could have heard a pin drop.

Suddenly Jyoti sat back blushing, and she blinked, unnerved by Mike's unwavering gaze.

"You remember that?" She asked. "But it was almost ten years ago."

"Ah, that's so sweet!" Emily piped up trying to change the conversation.

"Come on, Emily, I don't do sweet." Mike retaliated gruffly.

"Oh yes you do..." Jyoti piped up. She remembered the way he had taken the trouble to find out what the lyrics of her favourite song were and what they meant. He had taken the time to learn about her culture, and she had loved the way he touched her father and her aunt's feet.

"Have you got a favourite memory of Mike?" Abby pondered out aloud.

"Um... Yeah I do."

Mike gazed at her, his stomach beginning to churn, what would she say?

"My memory is not really my favourite, but it is one of the earliest that I have. Mike was working underneath a car, Dad was chatting with a couple of engineers, and I was talking to a friend. The car jack holding the car up broke and Mike was trapped underneath. Dad and the other men managed to lift the car between them, while my friend and I pulled him out. He was battered and bruised, and was taken to the hospital immediately, but seeing him that day made me realise what I wanted to do, made me pursue my doctorate." Jyoti spoke calmly gazing at Mike as she did so.

"You mean you became a Doctor because of something that happened to me?" Mike queried, he was about to say something, then changing his mind he closed his mouth. The fact she had chosen to become a Doctor because of something that happened to him left him with a warm glowing feeling and he smiled.

Jyoti nodded.

"Mike doesn't tell us about that part of his life, will you tell us more?" Diane urged, Mike had told her little bits about his childhood but he had left out huge chunks, and she wondered if Jyoti would be kind, enough to fill tell her.

The day progressed well and Diane and Jo got on well together. Diane loved hearing all about her and her culture and told her that she would relish going with her to the local Temple.

Jyoti smiled as Mike drove her home, she had been reluctant to meet Mike's mother, but now she felt that Diane was less of a future Mother-In-Law and more of a good friend.

* * *

A week later, Tariq had followed Mike to the house he shared with the blonde girl; quietly he seethed.

How could he? He was cheating again, this time he was cheating on Jo. Well this time enough was enough. He waited until Mike had taken the little boy inside, and then he would ring on the doorbell and wait for him to come and then he would beat him senseless.

Stealthily he crept up to the door and ringing the bell, he waited. Mike looked different, his hair was longer, and he had stubble on his chin.

"Hello," Mike answered cheerily, almost as if he hadn't recognised him.

"It's me!" Tariq scowled, and grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled the cheat outside, before the charlatan could say anything, he had punched him in the face, sending him reeling.

He dealt several blows to the man's stomach before the young blonde came running, she whirled him around and kicked him under the chin sending him flying backwards.

"You leave him alone!" The gutsy blonde snapped at him, venom dripping from her words.

"Get lost! Go on! Before I call the police!" Quickly she turned to her lover as he ran. He didn't hear her words of concern...

"Connor! Are you OK Conn?"

* * *

The following day the hub was buzzing, Danny and Bertie had returned from their honeymoon in the Seychelles, Their wedding had been a quiet affair and afterwards Danny had been seconded to go and set up the Chinese ARC. Jess was fawning over Bertie, and Danny was being introduced to Jo by Becker.

Mike was walking down the corridor away from Jyoti's office, he had been told to find her in the Hub. He had given her a lift into work that day, since someone had slashed the tyres on her car.

Slowly Mike approached Danny and Jyoti; one thing had played on his mind since they had returned from America. Was it true that Aamir was abusing Samira?

After recent events, he had begun to think that it most probably was, that Aamir was beating Sam and that Tariq was harassing Jo. That simple fact left Mike with a dull ache in his chest and he wondered whom he had feelings for Jo or Sam?

He was about to speak to Danny when his face dropped.

"Connor!" Danny shouted walking straight past him.

Mike turned to look at his younger brother who was sporting a black eye. Abby walked with him, a concerned look on her face.

"What happened to you?" Danny questioned. He looked at Abby when Connor didn't reply.

"Some bloke knocked on the door last night; he pulled Connor out and just punched him in the face. I went out to help and told him to clear off! He left Connor with this Shiner." Abby explained.

Becker turned to Jess and whispered in her ear. She smiled and nodded; walking over to the ADD she sat down in her chair and began tapping away at her keyboard. Moments later, she called across to Connor.

"Did he look like this?" Jess pointed to an image on the CCTV.

"Yeah, that's him!" Abby exclaimed.

Mike turned to look at the screen. His blood began to boil, and his hands fisted at his sides.

"I'm gonna kill him." He muttered under his breath.

Matt heard him, "You know this guy?" He grabbed his arm preventing him from storming off.

"It's Tariq!" He growled through clenched teeth.

Matt could feel the tension emanating from his stepbrother; he could tell that if he didn't do something to hold him back, Mike would end up doing something he would regret later.

"He's really over-stepped the line this time, I'm gonna smack him!" Mike tried to pull away, but Matt put a hand on each shoulder preventing him storming off to hurt the man.

"I know you're angry, but how do you know him? What's he done?" Matt's Irish voice lilted, calming Mike a little.

"He's been stalking Jo!" Mike seethed quietly.

"Stalking Jo? Doctor Jo Patel?"

"Yes," he hissed through clenched teeth.

Matt turned to look at Jyoti who was examining Connor's eyes, she was so engrossed with checking Connor's eyes, and she had not seen the image on the screen behind her.

"Is that true Jo?" Matt called as he pointed to the screen. "He's been following you?"

Jyoti looked up completely oblivious about what had transpired between the men.  
Turning around she glanced at the picture, she paled, and an involuntary gasp escaped her lips. Slowly she nodded.

"Matt! He threw a brick through her window! He's been ringing her leaving revolting messages on her answer machine!"

Danny stood back listening to Mike and Matt. Now he stepped forward.

"Did you report any of this?"

Mike nodded.

"We spoke to a PC Tyler. She's handling it." Jyoti informed him.

"Good. She's good; she'll sort it out. In fact, I'm going to ring her now and make sure she knows about Connor being beaten up. The two incidents are definitely related." Danny pulled out his mobile phone and immediately rang someone.

After a few minutes of chatting on his phone, Danny returned to speak to the team.

"She tells me that the best thing to do is to get a lawyer and get him to issue a court restraining order, one that'll prevent him of coming within 1000 meters of her."

"OK, I can do that," Jo smiled, feeling relieved that finally she would be able to rid herself of this pest. "Vijay's now a qualified lawyer, I'm sure he'll do it if I ask nicely."

"Can I watch?" Mike queried.

"Watch what?" Jo turned to face him, pulling out her mobile phone.

"Watch him deliver the court order." Mike spoke with a wry grin on his features.

"In fact, I'd like to watch too," Becker spoke in his clipped and calm voice.

For the first time in days' Jyoti grinned.

* * *

Mike, Danny, Becker, Matt, and Connor had all stood in a line across the street, whilst Vijay sauntered into the garage where Tariq was currently working. He called him out so he could be seen by everyone before handing him a letter from the courts.

Vijay inwardly grinned; he had never been so pleased that Jyoti had considered him for this job. He too had been livid when Jyoti had told him that this man was annoying her, he would have quite happily have beaten Tariq up, but he knew the answer lay in tackling him legally, not by landing him in hospital where he could have them arrested for Grievous Bodily Harm.

Handing him the form he ensured that Tariq signed another form, this one confirming that he had received the letter he was about to open, it was to be kept on file so that Tariq could not deny having the letter ever reaching him.

"Good Day," Vijay smiled falsely, if he could, he would have happily dealt a blow to this man's nose but knew the consequences of such an action. He looked at Mike as he walked towards him.

Mike stood with his arms crossed, a gruff look on his face. He watched as Tariq opened the letter, a look of horror on his face. Looking up at his foe he scowled at Mike.

"You just wait, I'll have you!" He shouted from across the road.

"I'll be waiting," Mike called back, coolly. He stood his ground until Tariq moved away. Almost a challenge for his rival to make a move and come after him. A challenge that would have landed his foe behind bars.

* * *

Jyoti hummed as she worked in the kitchen.

Alongside her father, Jyoti had arranged for Mike's family to come over for dinner.

She worked quickly rolling out chapatis', thin flat breads. She rolled one, flipped another on the pan to cook, turning her attention to a pot on the cooker, she stirred it, all the time keeping one eye on the chapati that was cooking, making sure that it didn't burn.

Mike watched her as she worked, amazed by her multitasking. He was in awe of her.

"How do you do that?" he questioned pointing to the flat frying pan that was used to cook the bread. "Careful you might burn yourself!" He raised his voice as she flipped the bread with her fingers.

"Years of practice dear, years of practice."

He continued to watch as she would roll the chapati midway and then flip the one on the cooker, she would carry on rolling and then flip that again, this time watching the bread as it puffed up and rose. She would tap it gently expelling the hot air before lifting it onto a growing pile of cooked flat breads. He marvelled at how perfectly round they were, not a single one out of shape, almost as if she had rolled out the dough and cut around it, but no, she was doing it all free hand, one after another. Until she had a large pile in front of her.

"Do you mind if I have one?" He winked at her.

"Sure go ahead... But ..."

Mike reached out and picked off the top one.

"Ow, ow, ow!"

"Be careful it will be hot!" She finished as Mike picked up a scalding hot flatbread. She reached behind her and pulled a plate from a cupboard.

"How come I burnt my fingers and you don't?"

Jyoti giggled.

"You see, I don't hold it long enough for it burn my fingers!"

Turning around she told Mike to hold his hand under the cold tap.

Soon she had finished and she began tidying up after herself, washing up dishes and putting away things neatly. She had a few minutes before Connor, Abby, Diane and Luke arrived for lunch. Aunty Meena had agreed to help and she would be arriving soon with the salad.

Opening the front door for her aunt, she scurried into an upstairs bedroom to change her clothes, and returned wearing a dark blue shalwar kameez. She told Mike it would be easier to work in one of these.

She applied her lipstick as Connor pulled up.

Abby smiled and wondered what Jyoti had made. She pulled her to one side, a worried look on her face.

"I forgot to tell you, Connor can't eat curry."

"Why?" Jyoti asked.

"He's got a ..."

"Peanut allergy. Yes I know," Jyoti smiled. "You see I'm his Doctor, I've read everything in your medical files, and I already knew of Connor's allergy. That's why I've not put any nuts in any of the food."

"You've made it all yourself?"

Jyoti nodded.

"From scratch? Wow! Well it smells divine!" Abby murmured her eyelids fluttering as she took a deep breath.

* * *

A few weeks later, they met again, this time at Jyoti's parental home, they were enjoying a family barbecue, and Mike had just come back from an anomaly alert with a weird creature incursion. The creature was a huge porcupine, and it had spat out poisonous quills at a them. Mike had gone back to the ARC for a shower and then rushed off to see Jo's family.

"Are you OK Mike? You look a little flushed." Dr Suresh Patel asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just had a busy morning," he explained.

Jyoti's father had asked again, what his intentions were, and Sangita auntie had sneered and posed a very interesting idea. She had glanced inside Mike's wallet once and seen the picture of Samira, and hoped it would be Mike's undoing.

"It'll be easy to see where his loyalties lay, just look in his wallet to see his lady-love!"

Everything seemed to happen at once, Jyoti's mobile phone rang; Mike frowned as he reached into his back pocket. He blinked, his eyesight going blurry. He had just pulled out his wallet and shown the contents of it to everyone, when his legs turned to jelly, he was feeling feverish, his head began to spin, his stomach spasm and he clutched at his middle, he collapsed to his knees, and he blacked out.

Jyoti stared at him and then shouted at all her guests.

"Stay away from him, don't touch him!" Putting her phone to her ear, she spoke quickly. "Jess I need a team down here right now, Mike's collapsed. We need to put everyone on the team, into quarantine now!"

"Jyoti what's happening? Why has Mike collapsed? Why can't we go near him?" Vijay shouted.

"Several members of the team he was with have collapsed too, I can't tell you much more than that, but until I know why, we can't go near him."

"Jyoti listen to me! He has TSS!" Jo's father walked as fast as he could towards Mike, ignoring her that he should not approach him.

"Toxic Shock Syndrome? But I thought only women suffered from that?" Jyoti looked incredulously at her father who bent down to check Mike's temperature. She leaned over Mike as her father unbuttoned Mike's shirt.

"Men can get it too ... See that rash? Very indicative of Toxic Shock Syndrome, his temperature too, if he is sick in the next hour, then it's definite!"

"I'll run the tests just to confirm, but I think you could be right."

"Either way Jyoti, I want you to call me; I don't need to tell you how serious this condition can be. If you need any help, any at all, ring me." Suresh put a hand on his daughter's shoulder. He was concerned for the young man whom his daughter loved. They both knew this condition could lead to paralysis, even death.

"Jo, you might want to take this." Vijay picked up a wallet that lay on the floor, she looked inside, and smiled, she had no idea when he had managed to get this picture, but it was a nice one of her, sitting at her desk at work.

A team of medics arrived quickly; they carried Mike away, much to the horror of the people at the party. It was a private occasion with only Jo's closest family, but she still had her doubts on Mike's condition and left instructions that if anyone felt ill they were to contact her immediately.

* * *

On the way to the ARC infirmary, Jo checked Mike over. She hoped that her father's diagnosis was correct and that she could start treatment straight away. She was working against the clock here, four people needed her attention, if they weren't treated and fast, they could all die.

She checked Mike over and found the source of Mike's injury he had a tiny splinter from the quill embedded under his skin of his neck. Arriving at the ARC, she took a clean scalpel and tweezers and pulled out the sliver of poison, she sliced away a fine layer of skin, managing to remove the infected skin.

Moving rapidly to her next patient, she followed the same process with Becker, Connor, Emily, and McDonalds.

Matt had been far enough away not to have been in the firing line when the animal had shot out its quills at the, and so had not been infected.

Emily was the only one who had not had too many splinters in her body. Jyoti pulled out three from her shoulder, whilst she pulled several from Becker's chest and several from McDonalds too.

Jyoti deduced that Connor must have stood sideways on to the creature. All the quills had hit him, sideways on, and all the infected area was on his arm.

Having completed her work Jyoti sighed and went to see loved ones sitting in the corridor. As she expected Matt, Abby, and Jess had not gone home, but sat waiting for news, concern etched on their faces.

"I've done what I can; now we have to wait, hopefully it won't be long until they come round. I expect them to come round in turn; Mike should come round first, simply because I treated him first."

It was then that her phone buzzed in her pocket. Looking at the display, she noted that it was her father calling.

"Hello dad... No, he hasn't come round yet, but you were right, TSS." She paused listening to her father on the other end.

"I'm not sure if you're allowed to visit, he's in the ARC infirmary. I'll have to find out if you can come to see him... Yes, I'll be watching all five of them closely. Any way I have to go, one of my patients has just woken up. I'll call you, bye." She disconnected the phone and went to find out who it was that had come round.

Jyoti smiled as she walked in to see Emily. Her rash had faded, and her temperature had dropped to a more acceptable level. She checked her over and called Matt to come and see her.

Now that she knew that the others were not contagious, she let them go to see their respective partners. Jyoti closed her eyes for a moment, sighed deeply, and went to check on the rest of her patients. Slowly she trudged to Mike's side.

Checking his vital signs, she frowned, he should be recovering now, but his rash had not faded, he was still feverish and groggy, and Jyoti could not understand why he was like this. He was the first one she had treated, so why wasn't he recovering?

She turned to Justin behind her. Justin McDonald was one of Becker's most trusted soldiers, and although he had not come round, his rash had faded, and his temperature was coming down nicely.

"Jo..." Abby called out as Connor slowly regained consciousness. She walked over and checked his vital signs, pleased that he was recovering.

Walking over to see the Captain, she was surprised to see Lester standing by his bedside. Checking Becker's vital signs, she spoke to Lester, asking if her father could visit Mike. Once that she was satisfied with Becker's improving condition, and had Lester's approval, she rang her father.

She frowned as she checked Mike's vital signs. Why wasn't he getting better? Three hours had passed since he had started showing symptoms, he had passed out, and he had thrown up on his arrival at the ARC. He was still blotchy, and he was starting to become delirious.

She was starting to wonder if she had missed something, when her father arrived. He was escorted to the infirmary by Lester who had insisted on staying with Jess at Becker's side.

She hugged her father and expressed her worries, if anybody could understand how she felt, it would be her father.

"Have you removed all foreign objects?" He asked.

"I think so," Jyoti buried her head into her father's chest.

"Have you checked everywhere? Arms, legs, upper torso?"  
Jyoti nodded.

"You've checked his back too?"

Jyoti gasped as she pulled away from her father, eyes wide and fearful.

"Oh my god! Why didn't I check?" She berated herself, running to his bedside.

"I'll help you turn him over." Both father and daughter worked quickly to roll him onto his front.

"NO!" Jyoti exclaimed, as she saw at least eighteen splinters in his back. No wonder he wasn't getting better, his treatment was only half done.

"Quickly, where can I get some scrubs? I'll help you." Jyoti pointed him in the direction of the storeroom and her father rushed away returning later, fully attired and ready to aid his daughter.

* * *

Together father and daughter worked side by side removing all the splinters from Mike's back.

Jyoti worked extremely professionally, considering that she was removing the tiny needles from Mike's bottom – he was not going to be able to sit down for at least a week.

Realising what she was doing, she bit her lip, Mike had a beautiful backside, and if it wasn't for the splinters, she would have loved to run her hands over his glorious globes.

Sneakily she looked up at her father; he was too busy removing spines from Mikes upper back to notice where she was working. She shook her head to clear it of naughty thoughts, and wondered what her father would think if he could read her mind!

Jyoti continually monitored his vital signs. His blood pressure was lowering and his temperature rising with every minute that passed. She began to worry; this was not looking good, if they did not remove all the spines in the next five minutes, Mike was going to die.

* * *

**_Looks like curtains for our 'Bad Boy' Mike!_**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Mike Malonino**_

_After this week's disaster - I am surprised that I have an update for you, but nevertheless, here it is._

_Thank you to each and everyone of you who have reviewed and PM'd me regarding my mishap._

_I'm glad I didn't lose all of this fic - I've written thirteen chapters - Yes 13 chapters - that were corrupted on my memory stick. A total of 12,000 words that you hadn't read were lost but I dont know how I managed to retrieve them!_

_Someone up there really doesn't want Mike to die!_

_(BY the way Toxic Shock Syndrome is very real... Google it and make sure you don't get it!)_

_**Chapter 7**_

* * *

Jyoti gulped and she concentrated harder to finish the task in hand. Two minutes later, she looked up, and checked Mike's body for any more needles. Satisfied that she had removed every one, she moved up to help her father. Keeping check of his breathing, temperature, and blood pressure, she removed three more, and then reaching for the antibiotic cream, she began applying it all over the affected area. Once her father had finished she applied cream there too and then she stood back.

"Now... We wait. I've double checked that we haven't missed anywhere. Hopefully he should begin to recover." Her father now turned to her and noticed the weary look in her eyes.

"You really do like him don't you?" Jo leaned into him as he put his arm around her and she nodded dolefully.

Dr Suresh Patel sighed, this young man had come along and stolen his daughter's heart, and he knew that she had always loved him, that she had tried unsuccessfully to forget her first love, and that she had loved him ever since she had been a mere teenager. He had thought that he would never see him again, but it seemed as if fate had brought Mike and Jo back together. He had known for years that Jo had harboured a liking for Mike, and had not been surprised when his daughter told him that her love for Mike had resurfaced.

Together they wheeled him back to the medical bay where they would have to wait until he gained consciousness.

"Jyoti." Matt came up behind them, "How is he?"

"We'll just have to wait and see. We've done what we can all we can do now is wait for him to come round." Jyoti answered.

"Ok." He paused, gazing at his half-brother. "In the mean-time, can I speak to you about Emily?"

"Of course you can..." Jyoti followed him out and stopped to wash her hands before joining Matt with Emily.

Putting a small smile on her face, she approached Emily.

"Jyoti... I'm worried..." Emily began and paused in thought. "You see, Mike pushed me out of the way. He took the brunt of the spines heading my way in his back, if it wasn't for him, I'd have been badly hurt." She looked into Jyoti's eyes, "Will he be alright?"

"I hope so..." Jyoti frowned. "But that's not, why you called me, is it?"

"No," Emily huffed and pursed her lips. She sighed heavily.  
"You see me ... I think ..."

Jyoti craned her head to one side trying to work out what Emily could not put into words.

"I think me ..."

"Yes..."

"I think what Emily is trying to say is that we're not sure she should be going out on these anomaly alerts." Matt interrupted.

"You see, I'm late!" Emily blurted out.

"Oh!" Immediately Jo understood why Emily was so anxious.

"Let me run a few tests."

Jyoti walked away into her store cupboard and came back with a handheld Ultrasound Machine putting some gel onto Emily's stomach she positioned the sonic device onto Emily's still flat stomach. Taking away her stethoscope, she let Matt and Emily hear the wondrous sound.

"Bo-boom, Bo-boom, Bo-boom,"

Emily grinned, and Matt's mouth fell open at the sound.

"How late are you?" asked Jyoti.

"I'm a week late."

Jyoti smiled. "I'd say you're about five weeks pregnant. – I'll work out the date and let you know."

"Jo, is there any chance that the baby could be harmed by the toxic splinters?" Emily blinked. The idea that the baby could be in danger was making her uneasy.

"I'll need a blood sample. Then I can run some more tests to find out for you."

Quickly she fetched a syringe to withdraw some blood, completing the test she took it away for testing.

She peered at the blood sample under the microscope, and felt relieved when she could not find any toxin in her bloodstream. Mike had indeed saved her life without even knowing the full implication of what had happened.

Sighing she returned to Emily's side to give her the news. The baby would be fine, she did not have too many splinters in her body, and they had all been removed.

* * *

Emily smiled; she heard what Jyoti had to say but knew that she was hiding something. She had been told that she had no toxins in her blood, and the baby was fine, so it could not be that. Was Jyoti worrying about Mike?

Jyoti nodded miserably, Mike had still not come round, and she was becoming increasingly anxious.

Emily held Jo's hand. "I'm sure he'll be fine, He's a fighter, not one to give up so easily." She smiled.

The conversation with Emily lifted Jo's spirits and she ventured across to check on her other patients.

Jyoti spoke to the Captain, he was not happy that he she had removed his chest hair, but all of the quills had been taken out and he was recovering nicely, If he ate something and managed to keep it down, he could go home.

Although Connor had come round and felt better, he still felt a bit groggy. Abby stood by his side and fussed over him, stroking his hair and his face.

McDonalds was sitting up and he had been asking for something to eat. Jyoti arranged for some food to be brought to him and maintained that if he kept his food down he could go too.

Lastly, she ventured back to Mike's bedside alongside her father. He had still not regained consciousness, and this worried her, he lay on his front, his injuries were still raw and he still had a nasty rash that had not gone. She checked all of the pockmarks left by the spines and checked again to ensure she had not missed any.

Connor, Abby, Matt, and Emily came to see him and they sat with Jyoti as she and her father kept vigil by his bedside. Eventually they were joined by Jess, Becker, and Lester who also came to see how he was getting on. Out of everyone who had been on the anomaly alert this morning, he was the only one who had not woken up.

* * *

Jyoti sat by Mike's bedside, waiting for him to come round, she checked his vital signs regularly, making sure he didn't lapse into a coma.

Her other patients had all responded to treatment well, and Becker, Connor, Emily, and McDonalds had all been sent home. Their respective partners had gone too and Jyoti sat in the medical bay alongside Mike on her own.

Danny came to check on Mike, he had heard of Mike's injury and whilst everything was quiet, he came down to see him. Bertie had been sent back to Afghanistan on a tour of duty and so he had come in early, to maintain the night shift. He chatted for a moment and then sauntered off to do some paperwork.

Sighing she sat down at Mike's bedside, she would wait until he regained consciousness. She berated herself for not having noticed that Mike still had spines in his back. Sighing she looked him over as he rested on his front, his back was still too sore for him to lay down properly. She checked him thoroughly; even the tiniest splinter could now mean the difference between life and death.

* * *

It was morning when Mike finally came round. His back was aching and he could not turn over in bed, he was so sore.

"Good Morning." Jyoti smiled, relieved that he had finally regained consciousness.

"Hey," he whispered hoarsely.

"Don't move; I'm just checking your back." She peered closely, examining every inch of his back.  
His back still looked red and raw and Jyoti would have to rub antiseptic cream into his body.

"Healing nicely, but I'm going to have to rub some lotion into your back. Would you rather I got a male medic to do it?" She remembered all too well the last time she had been rubbing his chest and the reaction it had induced.

"No, I'll be OK, you do it." Mike prepared himself for the soft and gentle hands that were about to descend on his body.

He almost groaned as her hands caressed his back. He relished the feeling of her soft hands, and although they were torturous, he loved the soft and silky feel of her hands against his skin.  
The feeling was so good that Mike almost drifted off back to sleep until her hands began their descent even further down his body.

"What are you doing?" He exclaimed.

"I thought you said you were OK with this, now hold still, just a little bit more and you'll be done," she heard him moan softly.

"Mike? Are you OK?" His breathing had become shallow once more and she wondered if he was going to have to sort himself out again.

"Yeah… I'm fine, carry on." He whispered hoarsely. The attention she was giving his arse was heavenly and he could help but wish he could run his hands over her. He wanted her badly and this was not helping.

Mike could have reacted to her ministrations; her rubbing his arse would have aroused him easily if he has not been in so much pain. All too soon for Mike, Jyoti had finished and she told him he would have to stay on his front for the moment, just until his back had healed.

His temperature had gone down, and his rash had gone, his consciousness indicated that he was on the mend. All of these were good signs and she picked up the phone to tell her father that Mike was recovering.

Her father, having seen Mike had been concerned and had wanted to know about his condition the minute he woke up. Jyoti rang him now to tell him that Mike was recovering.

Mike was kept in the infirmary for a few more days, and once Jyoti had made sure that he had no lasting effects from the Toxic Shock, he was sent home.

* * *

Jess strapped herself into the Mobile Anomaly Detector van. Becker and Connor jumped into the front with Jo. Whilst Matt, Mike and Emily, jumped into an SUV, with Mike driving. Since hearing his story of how he used to be a mechanic, Matt trusted Mike a little more and his aptitude at driving impressed him.

Becker having heard about Jyoti's training in the Territorial Army was putting her through her paces and checking she was fit for duty. So far, he had been impressed with the way she handled herself in one to one combat. But this would be the real test - out in the field with a possible creature incursion.

He looked over her, she seemed nice enough, he had noticed the way she and Mike had gelled together, and after a brief conversation with Connor, realised that she had known Mike many years ago. She didn't seem the type to fall for someone like Mike, but then, he couldn't see any girl with him.

Jess had managed to locate cameras on the High Street in London. It was mid morning, and whilst most children were at school, the High Street was still busy with people going about their business.

She sent coordinates to Mike's earpiece, telling him which way to go.

"Just tell me where it is Jess!" Mike shouted getting annoyed; he knew this part of London like the back of his hand.

"It's just off the High Street!"

Mike looked at the position of the anomaly on his in car computer. He could see the position of the anomaly and he knew a shortcut to the location. Driving into an open-air car park, he drove straight through without stopping cutting his arrival time by at least five minutes.

Arriving a full five minutes ahead of Becker and Connor, gave Matt and Mike more of an edge dealing with the arboreal raptor that had come through the anomaly. Matt was able to send Mike and Emily into just the right place to stop the monster from attacking any more people. Within moments, he had managed to shoot the raptor with his EMD rendering it harmless.

When Connor and Becker arrived with Jyoti, all they had to do was deal with any injured civilians and lock the anomaly.

Once the creature had been sent back to its own time, and the anomaly locked, Mike noticed an upturned car; he saw a vague outline of someone trapped inside. There was something familiar about that person. Looking over to Jo, he noticed her go pale at the sight of the car, even whilst she tended to a little boy with a broken arm.

Speaking through his earpiece to Jess, he asked her to research into the owner of the upturned BMW.

"It's registered to a Dr Suresh Patel."

"Shit!" Mike muttered. Running over to the car, he began trying to get to the trapped man inside.

"Matt! Quick I need your help here! Captain you too!"

"What's the matter Mike, who is Dr Suresh Patel? Why is he so important?" Becker questioned through his earpiece.

He heard Jess gasp, and a whimper escaped Jo's lips.

"He's Jo's Dad! It's her father!"

Together the three men managed to right the car, and within minutes, Mike had wrenched off the door to get access to the man inside.

Jess, efficient as ever, had requested several ambulances for the walking wounded.

Tears rolled down Jyoti's cheeks as she watched her father, be pulled from the wreckage.  
Mike looked over to her, and he remembered a time when Jyoti's father had looked after him, assessing his injuries after Mike had been trapped under a car. Her father's quick action that day had literally saved his life, and he could not help but feel strong emotions for the older man.

* * *

Mike joined Jyoti as she sat in the Family Room of the local Hospital, waiting for news. She looked so lost, so vulnerable, so sad that Mike could not just stand and watch. He approached her quietly and sat beside her. She barely acknowledged his presence and he put an arm around her.

She looked up into his eyes, and this was what broke Mike's heart. It was when big fat tears began rolling down her face, that Mike pulled her closer, he let out a huge sigh as he hugged her. He knew how she felt, he remembered that her mother had passed away years ago, and now her father was the only family she had left.

He recalled that time now, Tariq had told him about her mother, and that he and his family would be going to the funeral. The Khan household had been close to the Patel family years ago, but all that had changed when Aamir had stepped into Sam's life.

He remembered how sad she had looked then, he had not expected the funeral to be such a big thing, and he had not been prepared for the open casket affair. People had come from all over the country just to support Jyoti and her father, and he recalled how upset she had been for months afterwards.

Sam had been a pillar of support for her then, but now Jyoti had no one but Mike to be there for her. Mike felt for her father too. The man had saved his life, the most he could do was be there for his daughter now. He hugged her and he felt a tug in his heart he had only felt once before. He felt her silky hair under his hand and he stroked her hair soothing her. He knew she was worried for her father. He had been taken into surgery an hour ago and he could tell that she needed comforting.

From what he understood, the nurse had told her, was that the car being smashed in that particular manner had given her father a heart attack. Once the results to the cardio gram had come back, the doctors had decided on immediate surgery to remove the blockage. Matt and Emily had come and gone with Connor and Abby and had promised to return. Abby had gone home to be with Luke, the little boy, although happy enough during the day without his mother, needed her at night.

Emily found them sat in the family room. Mike sat in one chair whilst his feet rested on the seat of another. Jyoti sat resting her head on his shoulder, her puffy eyes closed, a scrunched up tissue in her hand.

Emily and Matt brought a pizza, they had known that the pair had not eaten anything and now they placed it in front of them.

Mike urged Jyoti to eat something, she had barely eaten her lunch, and now it was approaching nine o'clock in the evening.

Jyoti was reluctant, even though she was hungry, the mere thought of food whilst her father was on the operating table made her cringe. How could she possibly eat at a time like this?

"You need to eat something. If you don't, you may even fall ill yourself, and then you'll be no help at all to your father... Have a little bit to eat..." Emily coaxed.

Absently she picked up a slice of pizza. It was at that moment an elderly woman chose to enter.

"Jyoti, Jyoti, oh my goodness, why didn't you call me?" she hobbled inside, her legs clearly giving her trouble; her flowery printed sari was old, faded from years of washing. Mike raised his eyebrows at Matt. Saris were supposed to be elegant and beautiful, yet this one was clearly the opposite. It did nothing for the woman's large figure.

Jyoti put down her pizza, stood up, and greeted the old woman.

"Auntie Sangita, how did you know I was here?" she questioned.

"My sister-in-laws, brother's daughter works here, she told her father, and her father was kind enough to ring me. Why didn't you call me? I would have come straight away."

"I didn't want to bother you; after all you're so busy..." Busy meddling in other people's lives, Jyoti thought.

"Jo, why don't you sit down with your auntie and have something to eat? It will do you good." Emily coaxed once more.

"How can you eat at a time like this? My brother is on the operating table and all you want to do is eat? I couldn't possibly eat at a time like this." Auntie Sangita sneered snootily.

Jyoti sighed, and looked longingly at the pizza.

"Mike you go ahead, have something to eat, I'm not hungry..." She lied.

"Sorry Jo, I was planning on joining you to eat, but if you're not going to, then neither am I!" He glared at her aunt.

"Oh don't let me stop you, you go ahead..." She ignored Mike and plonked herself into a chair next to Jyoti away from him.

Jyoti wished that Mike would stop being so stubborn. Why didn't he understand? She longed to return to the comfort of his arms, but he knew that if she did, word that she was going out with him would spread like wildfire, and she didn't want her father finding out from anybody else. Especially from someone as nosy as Auntie Sangita. So they sat and waited, the chilly atmosphere created by her aunt stifling all conversation. The pizza lay untouched.

Mike briefly answered a call from Connor on his mobile. He was asking if there had been any news on Jyoti's father. They spoke for a little while and then disconnected.

At half past ten when a doctor came to see them, Lester had managed to get Caroline involved, and it was she, who had operated on Jyoti's father. She came to see her now.

She was miraculously clean, with only a few blood spatters on her hospital scrubs. Jo ignored them and went to greet the older woman.

Caroline hugged her protégé, made sure she was ok before sitting down with her to tell her about her father.

"The keyhole surgery went well, we were able to unblock a lot of arteries, but he will have to be careful with what he eats, I suggest a diet overhaul, you're a doctor, you know the things I mean. He'll be sore for a while, but I think that he should recover quite quickly. This was his first major heart attack right?" Jo nodded.

"He'll bounce back quickly. Far quicker than with open heart surgery. He's doing well at the moment; he's holding his own, breathing mostly by himself, although he has been put on a ventilator to aide his breathing, just to regulate it. The ECG is showing a steady heartbeat, and I'm fairly confident about recovery."

Caroline looked down at the still untouched pizza.  
"Have you not eaten?"

Jo shook her head.

"Eat something; you are no good to your father if something happens to you. You need to keep your own energy levels up." She looked at the pizza herself and her stomach began to twinge, "Mind if I snag a slice?"

Jo shook her head, Emily stood up and handed the box of pizza around.  
"Auntie Sangita?" Emily passed the pizza over.

"Oh no thank you, I've already eaten. I'll be off now, I'll be back tomorrow." With that, she stood up and hobbled out.

Jo pursed her lips into a thin line, and waited until her Aunt was out of earshot.  
"Bitch!" she muttered under her breath.

"I was really hungry an hour ago, but now I think I've gone past it. I really don't feel like eating."

"Have something even if it is just one slice." Emily sat with Jyoti. She sighed heavily and looked up, she glanced at Mike, and the look on his face seemed to plead with her. She smile and picked up a slice of pizza. Biting into the now cold pizza, she looked up at Mike who took a large bite out of his own slice.

* * *

The ICU was quiet, nurses went about their work, and the sound of various breathing machines, ECG machines, ventilators, making their individual sounds as Mike, Matt, and Emily accompanied Jo as she went to see her father. They stood behind her as she greeted him, tears once again rolling down her face. He was awake, but she could tell he was very weak, the ventilator assisting his breathing. She checked the read outs the machine emitted, taking in the information presented to her. She checked his notes even though she knew that she shouldn't, but seemed pleased that he was making slow progress. It was slow, but it was a start and she became confident that he would indeed recover.

Slowly Suresh opened his eyes; his only daughter was checking his records, just as he knew she would. "Jyoti..." he called softly.

"Hush... No talking... you've just come out of major surgery, you know yourself that you need the rest."

He reached out for her and was pleased when she sat by his side. He smiled weakly. He looked around him, and for the first time he noticed the people who stood by the door. He gulped when he saw Mike. He looked at the other people who stood next to Mike. He had met them once before. He knew who they were, but could not put a name to the faces.

"Jyoti..." She looked up at him. She knew he was supposed to be resting, but something was on her father's mind. "I'm fine... Go home. Get some rest. I'll be right here."

He reached out for her hand and held her hand gently, not having any energy to increase his grip. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

Jyoti became concerned when her father closed his eyes, but she stood for a moment, monitoring the machines, satisfied by his slumber, she turned to go home.

* * *

Mike was nervous and he tried to smile as he entered the Patel family home. Connor and Matt had encouraged him to go and see Jo's father, and they had been the ones to suggest that he take something. Abby had been the one to suggest taking grapes, not only were they better than the wine that Connor had suggested but they would aid recovery.

Jyoti had opened the door and smiled genuinely as he stepped inside.

"I wanted to see how your dad was, a sort of get well soon," he shrugged, not knowing what else he could say or do.

Jyoti led him to the lounge, where her father was sitting on a armchair watching a film on the TV.

Jyoti's father smiled as he saw Mike, somehow he had known the young man would not let this opportunity to visit, pass.

"I didn't know what to bring, these are for you." He held up the grapes, and passed them over to the older doctor.

"Grapes! Good choice, one of my favourites, and grapes are one of the best fruits for a person with heart problems. Thank you. You've been very thoughtful." He smiled.

Suresh knew that his daughter liked Mike, and had taken the time to find out about his past. He knew someone who worked in the police force, and he was able to find out all sorts of things about Mike. He was the one who knew that Mike was not the one to blame for the nun's death. He had been disappointed when Mike had turned to crime to make a living, but it seemed that the young man had turned himself around, with a job for the Government – a rather Top Secret Agency at that too. Jyoti had told her father that they would be working together and he had not been surprised when she told him that her feelings for Mike had resurfaced.

Suresh sighed, he had always been proud of Jyoti's decisions and no doubt, she would make the right decision this time too.

He understood completely when Mike carefully skirted his more colourful past, and briefly told him about his job at the Government Agency. He looked over the young man sat on the sofa, he could tell that Mike was nervous, it was the way he sat forward, on the edge of the sofa, the way he was chewing his nails. He compared the teenager that he had once known, to the young man sat in front of him. His jeans were clean and neatly pressed, and his white t-shirt looked pristine, and he looked cleaner than he had ever seen him before.

Slowly Suresh urged Mike to talk, this was unlike him, it was not as if he didn't know him, conversation should have been easy, so why was Mike being so tight lipped?  
Suresh asked Mike about his current job and whether he enjoyed it.

Unfortunately, there was not much that Mike could tell Jyoti's father about his job at the ARC, the position was highly confidential and Suresh had to leave it at that. He had a vague idea of what they did at this agency, after all, they had been the ones that had appeared after that strange creature had materialised from the glittering ball of shards. The creature had stomped from the ball, causing him to swerve and flip his car – the accident, which led to his heart attack.

They spoke for a little while longer, and Mike began to relax. Suddenly, the front door bell rang.  
"I wonder who that could be." Suresh spoke to Mike, as Jo went to open the door. He visibly deflated when he heard his sister's dulcet tones.

Mike's stomach turned as he heard the front door bell. He watched as Jo stood up and went to answer the door. He wasn't sure what he should do, guests had just come in, and should he stand to let their other guests sit down, or should he stay where he was? He glanced at Jo's father, and was relieved when the older man indicated for him to stay seated. He watched with amusement as Suresh's brow creased.  
He listened as Jyoti spoke to the newly arrived guest.

"Auntie Sangita, How lovely to see you!" _Hang on... Was that sarcasm in Jo's voice?_

He waited with baited breath as someone pushed open the door. His heart sank as the woman he had seen at the hospital appeared. Today her sari was a disgusting shade of green. He watched as she hobbled in and Mike bounced on the sofa as she plonked herself down next to him.

"Suresh! I brought you some samosas! I made them especially for you this morning." She handed over a clear tub, and Mike could see the outline of triangular shaped parcels, swimming in oil. He was not a person who was good at the medical side of things, but something was telling him that Jo's dad should not be eating oily food.

"I went to see you at the hospital, and they told me that they had sent you home, so soon too! I would have expected you to be in there for at least a week!"

"Yes, well keyhole surgery has changed a lot of things in medicine! Including recovery times. Besides Jyoti is a qualified Doctor! She knows exactly what to do."

"Humph... A woman's place is in the home! She should have been married off years ago, instead of being allowed to swan off to do whatever she liked."

Jo's mouth fell open; it was just like her aunt to badmouth her, but in front of Mike? She seethed quietly.

"Sangita, we've been through this, Jyoti is my one, and only daughter, I trust her to do the right things." Suresh defended his daughter.

"You just wait until she runs off with the likes of him!" She sneered and cocked her head to one side, talking about Mike as if he wasn't there.

This time Mike seethed, he clenched his teeth. If she said another word about him or Jo, he was going to smack her.

Suresh sighed as his sister continued. "You know the other day I saw them walking down the street together. Holding hands!"

Suresh looked over to Mike.

"Tell me Beta..." Mike vaguely remembered that Beta meant son. "Do you like Jyoti?"  
Mike began to sweat. He was sure that he loved her, and he knew that he would be lost without her. He nodded slowly, his voice having deserted him.

He beckoned his daughter, and she came to stand on the other side of his armchair. Then he reached for Mike's right hand, taking Jo's hand he placed it in his hand.

Mike paled, his stomach twisted into knots, he took a deep breath, was Jyoti's father doing what he thought he was doing? Slowly he looked up into the man's eyes, and saw them twinkling, he saw him smile and knew that he had been right.

"Will you accept Jyoti?" he paused, "You don't have to answer right now. Let me know soon what your intentions are."

Slowly his gaze met Jo, and she smiled hesitantly. He stood up and moved across to stand next to her, his eyes not leaving hers and their hands, not breaking contact.

"You're going to let Jyoti marry him? But he's nothing more than a common criminal!"

"I'll have you know that Mike has a very good job at the Government." Jyoti could not stay silent anymore and she defended Mike as best as she could.

"Oh, so he works for the Government? What does he do? Cleaner?" Auntie Sangita sneered.

_"I could tell you what I do for a living Auntie,"_ he winked at Jo and hoped her father would not take offence.

_"But then I'd have to kill you afterwards!" _He grinned at the look of sheer horror that crossed the older woman's face. He heard a stifled snigger and knew that Suresh was not upset at all.

Jo standing next to him made a strangled sound, a cross between a snort and a sneeze. She grinned back at him. She had never heard anybody put down her aunt like that before and she stifled a giggle.

Suddenly Mike's phone rang, his smile faded as he looked at the caller.

"It's Jess." He winced; a call from Jess could only mean one thing... an anomaly. "OK I'll be there," all trace of the smiling young man left as Mike became all professional and tough. His expression unsmiling and surly.

"Sorry Mr Patel, it's ... work. I've got to go." The older gentleman reached up with an outstretched hand.

"Please come again soon, it'll be good to see you. Thanks for coming." Mike smiled briefly, it seemed as if the older gentleman had come to terms with Jo's choice and was happy with him.

"Please don't get up, you need the rest," Mike took his outstretched hand and shook it, pleased that he had taken this step to visit the other most important man in Jo's life. "I promise I'll come again soon."

Jyoti walked him to the door.

"Mike, please be careful," she whispered as they entered the hallway, knowing that anything could happen at this anomaly. She held his hand, squeezing it gently. She looked around and then ensuring that they weren't seen, she leaned forward to kiss him quickly on the lips.

Mike felt a jolt of electricity as Jo's lips brushed his own. He blinked, if she did that again, then he was certainly going to lose all feeling in his legs. It was a feeling he enjoyed, and he wanted to do it again. He leaned down to her.

"You'd best go, anomaly!" She whispered.

"One more," he mouthed to her.

"No! Go! Now!" she grinned, just before opening the door, she kissed him again, and giggled when he feigned a fainting action.

* * *

The anomaly was in the underground this time, old disused tunnels that were no longer used; the team found the glittering orb and quickly scouted around for any creatures.

Mike heard something rustling behind him.

"Justin!" He whispered, pointing his EMD.

McDonalds came up behind him and together they looked around the old storage room.

They heard the sound again; it was a faint slithering sound, something sliding around on the uneven floor.

Mike turned slowly and then he saw the creature.

It was huge, an overgrown octopus, he wasn't sure if these creatures were able to live out of water and he took aim with his EMD. Realising that the creature simply wanted to go home, he moved away from the anomaly.

The creature began slowly slithering past him, but it reached out and caught him by the ankle, and as it pulled Mike by his ankle, his EMD went flying and he was pulled through to the other side.

Becker, Connor, and Matt arrived quickly and assessed the situation.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going to go through and help him." Connor ran through the anomaly before Matt or Becker could stop him.

Matt left instructions for the Anomaly Opening Device to be brought from the car where it was now kept, and he was about to follow Connor and Mike when suddenly the anomaly flickered and closed.

* * *

Connor had grabbed Mike's EMD before running thought the anomaly and he used it now on the creature that was hauling his brother away.

The creature slumped and released Mike, becoming lifeless.

"Thanks," Mike felt grateful that it was Connor who had come after him, and he grabbed hold of Connor's outstretched hand.

It was after Connor helped him up that they noticed that the Anomaly began to flicker and it blinked out of existence.

"Shit! Now what?" Mike muttered.

"We wait. They've got the anomaly opening device, once they set it to the right time period, we can go home."

"So where are we anyway?"

Connor looked around him at the lush vegetation. "Cretaceous."

* * *

Back on the other side, Becker and Jess were trying unsuccessfully to make the Anomaly Opening Device work.

There was something wrong with it and it didn't have enough power.

Jess took it back to, the ARC, and she had to charge it up, and re-program it using Connor's notes. The process took up a whole month, November passed by and it was approaching Christmas before they could try to open the anomaly.

Becker, Jess, Matt and Abby, and Jo took the Anomaly Opening Device into the car park at the ARC. Pressing a few buttons Jess managed to open an anomaly and she hoped it was to the right date.

Abby, Jo and Jess, waited whilst Becker went through with Matt, and came back a few minutes later. Matt shook his head, they had found evidence that Mike and Connor had been living at a certain location, but they needed to go back at least a month on the anomaly opening device.

This time when Matt and Becker went through, it took a while for them to return. Abby was tempted to go through after them, but for Luke's sake knew that she must stay to look after him. Connor was already trapped in the past; it would be disastrous for her to be trapped in the past too. She waited with baited breath and was rewarded a few minutes later when Matt hauled Connor through the anomaly.

Jo and Abby rushed to his side, and Jyoti began checking his vital signs, although everything seemed to be OK, he was battered and bruised and his breathing was laboured. Jyoti gulped, if this was Connor's state, what condition was Mike in?

A few minutes later Matt dragged Mike through the anomaly, there was an old blood stain on Mike's leg, it looked as if he had tried to bandage it himself, and he had a fresh head injury.

Shaking her head she had them both taken to the infirmary and to assess their injuries.

A whole month had passed without them, and Jyoti wondered where they had been. Connor wasn't too bad, his experience of living in the Cretaceous for a whole year had stood him in good stead and he had coped rather well, it seemed as if they had encountered a raptor on the way back and it had almost crushed Connor. After a quick shower and some bandages applied, he was fit to go home.

Jyoti frowned as she checked over Mike, and she could not help the tear that rolled down her cheek.

"Are you OK?" Mike whispered as she bent over his leg examining him.

She nodded, and then she screwed up her eyes and began to sob.

"I thought you were never coming back. I spent a whole month worrying about you."

"Sorry," Mike held his arms out and Jo melted into his embrace.

She checked his injury and found that he had been bitten by a Sarcosaurus, it had caused him to bleed heavily and although it was a week ago, the injury still needed tending. It had torn a large chunk out of Mike's thigh and he needed stitches to ensure recovery.

It wasn't long before Matt came to see him.

"People might think you enjoy it in the infirmary, you've spent more time in here than anywhere else." He grinned at winked at Jo.

Jyoti smiled at his wry humour, and shook her head, but she couldn't help but wonder if there was a reason why he would get injured so much. Maybe it wasn't a Sarcosaurus at all. Maybe there was another reason why Mike ended up in the Medical bay...

Mike grinned at his brother, pulled Jyoti closer to him and kissed her, he had missed her over the time he had spent in the past and now he kissed her with all the passion he could muster.

* * *

_** Coming soon...  
**_

_**Jyoti is hurt badly...**_

_**Mike gets drunk...**_

_**Mike is arrested...  
**_

_**Oh dear... I think there's trouble ahead...**_

_**I would love to hear your thoughts.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Mike Malonino**_

_**Chapter 8**_

**_Sorry for the short chapter, I really couldn't find anywhere suitable to split it._**

* * *

Christmas...

All too soon, Christmas came round, and Diane arranged for a family gathering. Bertie and Danny were spending the day at the Becker household, and Jess and Becker had decided to join them. Becker's sister and now brother-in-law did not spend much time in the UK, but when they did, it was always a good excuse to get together. Derek wasn't feeling too well and the long journey to London was proving rather difficult. He had been rather insistent to spend Christmas Day in his own.

Diane had insisted that Jyoti and her father join them for Christmas Day. Jyoti had been enthusiastic about joining Mike and his family for the day, and she had been planning alongside Emily and Abby, they had arranged for each of them to bring a special dish of food.

Jyoti had decided to make something completely different. She chose to provide the snacks for the day. Mike had insisted on having peanuts on the table, and Jyoti, remembering Connor's peanut allergy, had brought raisins as well. She had busy preparing the food in advance of the day.

Mike had watched as she prepared the flatbreads, and filling. Then, turning off the TV, he pulled up a chair and sat down, to watch her make samosas. He looked down at the bowl of sticky white stuff that she used to make the flatbreads stick together, and wondered what it was.

Jyoti looked at his bemused expression, and she asked him what was on his mind.

"What is that stuff?" He pointed to the ingredients set out on the table.

"Glue..." She giggled at his confused expression. "It's made up of flour and water."

"Completely edible then?"

"Of course, what did you expect? Superglue?" She giggled again.

He gazed at her, it was nice to hear her giggle, and he loved it when she smiled at him.

"Can I try?" He picked up a flatbread, as she nodded. He followed her actions, folding in the way she showed him. Smearing the edges with the sticky mixture. He smiled when it resembled a cone shape and began to fill it with the vegetable mixture. Then folding down the edges to seal it he set it down with the other completed Samosas.

Jyoti laughed as it fell apart as he set it down.

"Oh blast!" He frowned. He looked down at his sticky hands, and smiled. He took some of the sticky mixture and smeared it across Jyoti's face.

"Oi!" she took a glob of mixture in her own hands and reached for his face, catching him across his chin.

That scene that ensued was very much a food fight, and Jyoti had forgotten that Auntie Meena was coming to help her with the savouries. She screamed at the knock on the door.

Laughing Mike opened the door. His smile fell off his face as Auntie Meena stood there looking pristine in her beautiful sari.

She took in Mike's dishevelled appearance and gazed behind him to where Jyoti stood floury mixture all over her clothes, in her hair, and all over her face.

"Shall I come back later?" She giggled.

"Masi! He's being horrible to me!" she wiped a glob of sticky gloop from her cheek.

Her aunt shook her head and instructed her to head into the shower. She grabbed Mike as he was about to head into the shower too.

"Where do you think you're going?" She pointed to the mess in the kitchen. "You're going to be helping me clear that up!" She admonished.

Vijay came in behind her and he burst into laughter, initially it was because Mike looked a mess and then, it was because Mike had to help clear it up.

Auntie Meena and Jyoti had stayed up until midnight filling the small parcels ready to be fried the following morning.

* * *

That had been last night, Christmas Eve, and now Mike was driving to the Temple household after dropping by to pick up Jyoti's father. Suresh and Jyoti had been invited for lunch, but could not stay for too long because they had also been invited to go to Auntie Sangita's house too.

Jyoti sighed, "Do we have to go to Auntie Sangita's house too? You know I don't like it there." Jyoti groaned.

"You know how it is, she'll make you hear about it for the whole of next year, and she holds grudges for a long time." Suresh wished that he didn't have to go either, but kept that but of information to himself. He knew his sister could not cook to save her life, and Suresh knew there would be burnt and oily food on the table for dinner today. Food that would probably lead to another heart attack.

"Look, why don't you have lunch with us and have tea at Auntie Sangita's?" Mike suggested; he hoped he was not being too forward by suggesting this.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea; I'll ring her and tell we'll be around later." He smiled as he pulled out his mobile phone.

Mike listened as Jyoti's Aunt screeched down the phone to Jo's father. He tried not to listen but she was so loud that Suresh had to hold his phone away from his ear. It seemed as if Auntie Sangita was not happy this morning.

* * *

Emily and Matt arrived first thing on Christmas Morning and helped Diane to cook the turkey and vegetables. Abby had told them she would provide the puddings, she wasn't a great cook, her mother had never had the opportunity to teach her, and although she wanted to join in she opted for the shop bought deserts she had chosen a Black Forest Gateau, Traditional Christmas cake, and a light and creamy cheesecake.

As Suresh entered the Temple household, he was greeted by his Nephew Vijay.

"Vijay what are you doing here?" He questioned.

"Special delivery, this was dropped on my desk yesterday afternoon and I thought the Mike might like it today." He smiled and took out his register.

"Sign there," he indicated a spot to Mike.

Grinning he handed Mike a very official looking letter. "Merry Christmas, I hope it's what you wanted?" Vijay waited for Mike to open the envelope.

Mike gulped; letters like these usually didn't contain good news. Trembling he opened and began to read the letter.

His face slowly erupted into a smile, which grew and grew until he was grinning.

Vijay stretched out his hand for Mike to shake.

"Can I be the first to say Congratulations Mr Michael Temple?" He grinned; he loved giving out letters like these.

"Michael Temple? The only person, who is allowed to call me Michael, is my mother." He grunted as he continued to smile. " By the way, Vijay...? Thank you."

"Mr Temple?" Connor heard the young lawyer, and he came over to see what was happening.

"Yes... I spoke to Vijay about getting my name changed by Deed Pole." He turned to Jyoti. "How do you fancy becoming Mrs Temple?"

Jyoti couldn't believe it, he'd done this for her, she had merely mentioned it and without any more discussion, he had changed his name.

Diane understood the change of heart regarding his name; this had to have come from the young lady in his life. She smiled and hugged both of them. Pleased that now both brothers had the same surname. Mike was finally a Temple!

* * *

Connor gave a glass of grape juice to Mike and began to pour the wine, he was about to pour a glass for Emily when she said. "No thank you."

"But you like this wine, its Frascati, your favourite." Connor grumbled.

Emily smiled coyly and glanced at Matt, who nodded, a silent understanding between them.

"I have an announcement to make..." She gazed around the table waiting until Diane had sat down.

"Matt and I are going to have a baby."

A cheer went up around the table and Connor thumped Matt on the back in congratulations.

For Suresh dinner was and enjoyable affair; and Jyoti had even conceded and let him eat a samosa too.

After Dinner had finished Suresh pulled Jyoti and Mike to one side.

"Jyoti, you belong here, with Mike, by his side. I'll go to tea at Auntie Sangita's house." Suresh advised his daughter; he said something in Gujarati that made Jyoti concede and smile.

Mike looked puzzled, he would find out later that Suresh had said to his daughter that she belonged at her in-laws house now, and if they were to get married, Auntie Sangita would have to respect and accept that even more.

* * *

It was early January; Jess had convinced everyone to join her at a nightclub for her birthday. The whole team had gone, but Mike could see that Jo was not enjoying herself. She had told him that she didn't really frequent nightclubs too often and she looked uncomfortable. She tried to fit in, chatting to Abby, and Emily, but he could tell she was itching to go home.

He had bought the first round of drinks when they had arrived; and she had relaxed a little, but when Jess asked her to join her on the dance floor, she refused. It wasn't that she didn't know how to dance, she just felt uncomfortable on the crowded dance floor, with everyone gyrating so closely together.

Jess, Abby, and Connor and had got up to dance and looked as if they were enjoying themselves. Danny and Becker were stood at the bar getting the next round of drinks, and Matt sat next to Mike keeping Jo and Emily company.

He watched Jo as she sidled up next to him to talk; she said something but with the loud music and the darkness of the club, found it hard to decipher what she was saying. He shook his head, pointed to his ear, and shouted, "Can't hear you!"

She shouted again, but when Mike replied loudly that he couldn't hear her, she pulled out a pen from her handbag, she grabbed a napkin and began to write on it.  
'I'm going to the ladies.'

Mike nodded, in the dim light he had only just made out what she had written. He watched as she and Emily made their way across the edge of the dance floor until they disappeared in the throng of people. Sighing he waited for them to return, then he would make his excuses and maybe he and Jo could disappear somewhere quieter where they could talk. He tapped his thigh and the contents of his pockets, ensuring that he still had a certain box inside his pockets.

Eventually he saw Danny and Becker returning with drinks. Danny looked around him.  
"Where are Jo and Emily?" He shouted in Mike's ear over the tempo of the music, and pointed to the empty seats.

"They've gone to the toilet." Mike replied loudly. He frowned; she had been gone a long time. He looked at his watch but could not see the time. He and Matt exchanged glances, and got up to check on them, Mike leaned towards the bar, and angling his watch, he saw the time. Jo and Emily had been gone for twenty minutes.

Panicking he looked over to the dance floor, he could see Connor, Abby and Jess. Matt tapped him on the shoulder and he noticed the door leading to the toilets. Nodding, he slowly made his way over, gently tapping people to move them out of the way.

Opening the door to the hallway he gasped, Emily was sprawled out on the floor, blood trickling from a gash to her forehead. She was surrounded by a small group of ladies; one of them brought a tissue to hold to her head to stem the bleeding.

Matt pushed past him worried that she was hurt badly, worried about the baby, "Em! Emily!" He turned to the group of women standing by her.

"What happened?" He asked, the relatively quiet hallway amplifying his words.

"Some guy knocked her out as she came out of the toilets."

"What happened to the girl with her?" Mike questioned, fearing the answer. "She left with some blokes, to be honest, she looked as if she was drunk, and she didn't really want to go with them."

Mike felt as if he couldn't breathe, his heart skipped a beat, and a knot began to grow in his stomach.

He ran to the door of the ladies, pushing it open he shouted. "Jyoti!"  
He spotted her handbag lying on the floor. The lump in his stomach grew to an unbearable size, as he bent down to pick it up. He held it in his hand as he walked past Matt seeing to Emily and walked across the dance floor to Connor. He grabbed his arm and hauled him back to the table.

"Someone has taken Jo!" He shouted to Becker and Danny as he returned to the table they had been sitting at.

All three men, shook their heads, they hadn't heard a word.  
"Someone has taken Jyoti!" Mike shouted again as the music stopped and he was heard across the whole club.

People began to stare at Mike and at what he had said; the look on his face told them that he wasn't joking.

The DJ chose to ignore him and played the next track, but a bouncer ambled over and pulled Mike to one side where it was quieter.

"What seems to be the problem sir?" It was obvious that the bouncer had earmarked Mike as a troublemaker from the start, and he looked ready to throw him out of the club.

"My girlfriend went to the toilets with her mate twenty minutes ago. She didn't return to the table, and her mate has just been found just outside the ladies with a huge gash to her head, and she's gone!" Mike began to sweat; they needed to find Jyoti, and fast!

Danny came up behind him.

"What d' yer mean someone's taken Jo?"

Mike huffed, the longer they spent arguing over this; and the harder it would be to find her.

"Jyoti and Emily went to the toilets twenty minutes ago, Matt and I went looking for them, and we found Emily lying on the floor with head injury. I spoke to some people around Emily and they said that an Asian girl was being led away by a couple of blokes; they said she looked drunk. Jyoti may drink, but she's only had one glass of wine, there's no way she could be drunk, unless she was drugged!" Mike gulped, "We've got to find her Danny! We've got to find her!"

Danny pulled himself up to full height; he went straight into police officer mode.  
"You need to check your CCTV, see if you can find this girl. Let me see, if my memory serves me right, she was wearing a black skirt and purple top?" He looked at Mike, who nodded.

The bouncer tapped his earpiece to the other bouncers on duty, asking them if anyone had seen a girl matching Jyoti's description. One of his colleagues responded by saying that he had seen someone with a black skirt and purple top being hauled out of the pub and he said she did indeed look drunk.

Mike was not sure it was Jyoti, Jo was sober, she had been all night, there was _no way _she was drunk!

Another of the clubs employees was checking the CCTV footage and he said he had found something.

Together, he and Danny went with the bouncer to watch the camera footage.

"There... Is that your friend?" he pointed to the freeze-framed screen.

Mike's heart sank, the knot in his stomach grew and twisted even more, and dread filled his entire body.

"Yes..." He hissed at the image of Jyoti being led away by two Asian men.

The bouncer let the footage run until they had a clear view of the men who had taken her.

Mike's hands fisted at his sides, the men who had taken his love away were none other than Aamir and Tariq.

* * *

The team gathered outside the club, they had seen which way the taxi had gone, all they had to do now was trace it. The police had now arrived and were asking questions.

"You can't just stand around asking questions, _DO SOMETHING!" _ Mike shouted grabbing the policeman by the lapels of his jacket in frustration.

The policeman had had enough of Mike's ranting and raving, and he needed to be able to concentrate.

Calling for an area car the policeman arrested Mike and sent him back to the local police station to be held until he calmed down.

_"NO! NO! NO!"_ Mike shouted in anger, as he was bundled into a car and taken away to be locked up. This was not helping Jo at all, he felt angry that he had let her be taken in this manner and now he began to fear for her safety.

Emily had her head looked at and the cut to her head was not deep enough for stitches. The doctor checking her had also performed an ultrasound scan to make sure that the baby had not been harmed. Emily and Matt had breathed a sigh of relief when they were told that the baby was fine.

Danny was the one who set about retrieving Mike from the Police cells, whilst the rest of the team tried to decipher where Jyoti could have been taken.

* * *

Mike had begun pacing in his small cell an hour ago; he had rung the only person who could get him out; Vijay. Vijay was a lawyer, and could possibly get him out before dawn so that he could go and look for his girlfriend.

He was extremely concerned about her. The image he had seen, with her being bundled into a car with Aamir and Tariq was burned into his brain and thoughts of what they could be doing to her made him clench his teeth and growl under his breath.

Sleep evaded him, and so he paced as much as he could in his small enclosure. Four steps one way, and four steps the other. If he had his watch he would have some idea of what the time was, but this had been taken from him when he was brought in, as had the small box which contained the ring.

He had been reluctant to let go of that, he was sure that something as expensive and as precious was bound to go missing and so he had insisted on being given a receipt for it. He turned towards the door as he heard keys being jangled and his door swung open.

He was taken into a side room for questioning and this was where he met Vijay and Danny. He had never been so relieved to see Jo's cousin, and seeing Danny was comforting too.

"What time is it?" he asked.

"2 am." Danny replied.

Mike spoke briefly to Danny and Vijay before the arresting officer came inside to take a statement. The police wanted the statement so that they could decide if he was worth holding any longer and if he could shed any light into Jyoti's whereabouts.

Once they had written down the events leading to Jyoti's abduction, they told Mike it would be best if he stayed in lockup until she had been found.

"NO!" Mike pushed both hands through his hair, frustration showing on his face. "I can't stay in that cell anymore; God knows what they'll be doing to her!"

"Wait, can I have a word for a moment." Danny spoke to the officer and ushered him outside. He would try to pull some strings to get Mike released. He spoke to the superintendent, to no avail. They were trying their best to find her; several officers had been assigned and were looking through CCTV footage and asking many questions. The superintendent himself had looked over Mike's record and had told Danny it was in Mike's best interests to stay put.

Sighing Danny went back to speak to Mike, knowing that he would not be happy.

"Look, I've tried, I've even spoken to the boss, but he insists that it's best for you to stay here. All of us are looking, and we'll carry on looking until we find her." Danny explained.

Mike stood up and leaned against a wall. Slowly and deliberately, he began to bang his head. It was then he felt a hand in his shoulder.

"She's not just my cousin... She's my little sister. I owe it to her to go and look for her. I know how you feel mate; I feel it too. I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her." Mike turned to look into Vijay's pain filled eyes and he reluctantly agreed.

"I'll stay in that cell, but find her, promise me you'll look for her and find her ...! Just find her!"

Mike glanced at them as he was led back to his cell. Once he was inside, he waited until he heard the keys turn in the lock, then and only then did he allow himself to break. He fell to his knees; he put his arms around his middle and bent double, tears streaming from his eyes.

He stayed like that for an age, his thoughts focused on the person who had brought light into his life - Jyoti.

He snorted, not only did her name mean light, but she lit up his day just by being there, and it seemed as if he had been plunged into darkness, just by her disappearance. Tired by the days' events he lay down on the small cot. Closing his eyes, he saw her, in his mind; and she was rubbing ointment into his chest.

* * *

_**Oh dear... Mike has been arrested!**_

_**Poor Jyoti...**_

_**Poor Mike...**_

_**Still to come...**_

_**Jyoti is hurt badly...**_

_**Mike gets drunk...**_

_**I would love to hear your thoughts... **_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Mike Malonino**_

_**Chapter 9**_

First of all Sorry to Mrs A who didn't want me to take this particular track.

_Warning: This chapter mentions rape. I have not gone into detail, and do not condone the actions of the men involved; but please remember that this is fiction. _

_Please note not all Muslims are bad and many of them would be horrified at the actions mentioned._

_Again if the mention rape affects you in any way DO NOT READ._

_You have been warned._

* * *

Jess clamboured into the Mobile ADD van, tapping away at the computer screens located in the back of the truck, she followed the taxi as it sped through the streets. Managing to keep track of the vehicle was not easy and she lost it several times, as it sped through the streets.

If Jyoti had been carrying her mobile phone, tracking would have been easier, but her phone had been found in her handbag, along with her black box. She was alone and vulnerable with the thugs who had been stalking her for almost ten years.

* * *

It was 4 o'clock in the morning when Jess had managed to locate where the taxi had taken Jyoti. It had been 5 hours since Jo had been abducted. Rubbing her eyes, she called Becker and Danny to view her screens. She pointed to a screen and let the video play, they watched as they saw Jo being led form the car to an abandoned warehouse.

Becker glanced at Danny, words were not necessary for what needed to be done. Together, they summoned Matt, Connor, and Abby, and set out to fetch Jyoti. Jess contacted the police and soon the warehouse was surrounded.

The group of policemen who had gathered had all worked with Danny at some point in the past and were quite happy for him to lead them inside the building. Slowly they teams split up groups of coppers going with each of the team members.

Jess sat in the MADD van unable to see what was going on without camera feed when she remembered that she had thermal imaging cameras. Focusing them, she was soon able to see the ARC team with the police as they entered.

She saw that Abby and Vijay were the closest, and sent them in the right direction, telling them which rooms were empty and where to go.

Abby gasped as they entered the room in which Jyoti was being held. She had been unprepared for the scene which greeted her. Aamir laughed as Tariq looked around for his trousers. Jyoti was bleeding and she hung limply, like a piece of meat from a large hook on the wall, her blouse was ripped and torn and hung from her body, her skirt, bra and knickers lay in an heap in the corner, having been slashed away from her body with a knife.

Vijay saw red, and he leapt upon Aamir, punching him in the face. Pivoting on one foot, he aimed a kick to Tariq's stomach, making the man double up in agony. He kicked him again, this time in his face, breaking his nose.

"I'll have you for this!" Aamir turned to a police officer. "Did you see that, he broke my nose?"

"I didn't see anything; all I saw was you hurting the young woman!" The young officer looked nonchalant as if he hadn't seen anything.

Aamir turned to another copper in the room.

"Don't look at me; you're the one with no trousers or underwear!" He inclined his head towards Jyoti. "She's the one who's hurt and bleeding!"

Abby ran to her friend, carefully she untied her bonds, gently supporting her.

"No... No more, no more, no more..." Jyoti mumbled.

"Hush, it's me Abby, you're safe now, they not going to hurt you anymore." She felt a hand on her shoulder and Vijay held out his trench coat, for her to drape around Jo's shoulders.

Jyoti's eyes fluttered open; she saw Abby and heaved a huge sigh of relief. She flinched when Vijay put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell me they didn't ..." He didn't have to say anymore.

The look on Jyoti's face as she turned away from him and sobbed in to Abby's shoulder, told him everything he wanted to know, that they had abused her, that they had taken away the one thing she had held onto.  
Her virtue.

Suddenly he felt like the worst brother in the world, he had failed, his one task was to protect his little sister, and he had failed. He hung his head in shame as Abby helped her limp across to the stretcher that had arrived for her, and he could not bear to look as she was taken away.

Vijay fell to his knees and sobbed.

* * *

Mike ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The police could not hold him in the small cell without charging him. He had just been released from the police station and the first question he had asked, was Jyoti's whereabouts.

He ran into the hospital, Jo was hurt, she needed him, he furiously punched the button for the elevator, anxious to see her, and frustrated when it didn't come straight away he ran for the stairs. Floor three Jess, had said. He ran up not wanting to waste another second, not wanting to spend another moment away from the woman he loved.

He smiled wryly, thank god for all of Becker's training, as he arrived on the third floor without breaking into sweat, without panting for breath.

Quickly he found the nurses' station, and made an enquiry as to where they were keeping Miss Patel. The nurse checked her paperwork and pointed down the corridor. His heart sank as he saw Vijay and Connor. They looked away, unable to face him.

Suddenly he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. Turning slowly he saw Abby. His eyes searched hers for an answer.

"Don't Mike..." She stopped him from entering. "She's in a bad way." She paused, almost as if what she was going to say was paining her. "She's been raped..."

Suddenly everything made sense. Why only closest family were here, why Jyoti's father and her Auntie Meena were here. He felt as if someone had shoved a knife into his belly. Mike knew that she would be feeling awful right now and all he wanted to do was be with her. To make her understand that it didn't matter to him, that it didn't matter what had happened to her.

"But why can't I see her?" He frowned trying to follow the implications.

"Try and understand Mike, she's been..." Vijay pursed his lips together, the words caught like a bone in his throat.

"I've gotta see her..." Mike gulped and turned to venture into her room.

He paused in the doorway; there were bruises on her once beautiful face, a plaster to a side of her forehead. She looked up at him and her face crumpled, and she turned to her favourite aunt who stood at her side, before dissolving into tears.

Suddenly it dawned on him. She had been saving herself for him, until their wedding night. Her refusal to accept him before the event, her insistence that she remain untouched, a virgin, unsullied, and pure. He recalled that she had told him there was a stigma attached to rape victims.

Did she feel that way? That she was no longer perfect for him? That she was somehow dirty and damaged? Was that how she saw herself?

The questions began burning inside him, if that was how she felt, how would she feel about him? How would she feel after he told her the truth behind his past? Would she still say yes to him? Would she still want him to hold her and accept her?

He closed his eyes and huffed. He was going to tell her, how much he loved her, and that he still wanted her and if she would have him, he still wanted...

Unmoving he stood at the door, very softly he began to whistle.

_"Humee tuhmse pyaara kitna, yeah hum nahin jaanetey, mugaar jee nahin saaktey, tumhaare bina_..."

_'I don't know how much I love you; all I know is that I can't live without you.'_

The tune shocked Jyoti as she recognised the song, and she wondered if he really meant it. She knew of his knowledge of the translated words, but did he really mean them?

"Jo, Jyoti please don't cry," slowly he walked up to her bed. "It really doesn't matter to me, I don't care that you've been raped; you're still the same person you were yesterday. You're still the woman I love, and if you'll have me... I still want to marry you."

His heart broke as she raised her miserable face to him. He stood at the edge of her bed and reached out to wipe away a tear, but Jyoti dashed her tears away herself. He checked to see who was in the room, Auntie Meena, her father, Abby, and Connor. Did he really want all these people to hear what he was about to say? - Yes.

"Close the door a moment, I want to tell you something." He waited until Connor had closed the door and then he reached for her hand, he was shocked and hurt when she moved away. He wondered how she would feel when he told her, would she push him away? Would she accept him? He gulped.

"You see my first time wasn't too good either... In fact ... I'd rather forget it just like you." He closed his eyes, and slowly opened them again. An ache began radiating in his chest, an old and horrid friend returning to haunt him.

"You see Jo, I know exactly what you're going through, the feelings of self disgust, humiliation, and degradation," he gulped, he was about to tell her something he had never told anyone else.

"I know exactly what it feels like to be raped ... Because ..." He looked down, at the sheets, unable to face her, ashamed of his own admission. "I was raped too ..."

Gasps could be heard around the room, and he dared not look around, slowly he looked back up and he fixed his eyes on her eyes, trying to gather strength to tell her more. Her questioning eyes met his gaze, wanting or know more.

"You see when I was sent to prison for the death of Sister Mary all those years ago, I was put into a cell with three other blokes. They taunted me, laughed at me for saying I was innocent, I had been there a month when one night they decided they were going to beat me and that's when it happened. I complained, was put into another cell with another group of blokes, but it didn't stop there. They continued to abuse me, so much so, that when I came out, I thought I was one of them. I kind-a went berserk after that, I even slept around with women trying to convince myself that I didn't swing the other way. I guess that's why I tried to rape Abby." He turned to face his brother's fiancé, "I'm sorry."

Turning back to Jyoti, he continued. "So you see ... I'm just as broken as you...," he heaved, his sordid memories still aching in his heart and he breathed in deeply.

"I still love you Jo, I still want to be with you, and I still want to marry you." He shoved his hands in his pockets, and his fingers curled around a small box.

"Jyoti Patel..." he pulled it out and opened it.

"Jyoti Patel ... Will you marry me?"

Jyoti listened tentatively as he told her of his past. She now knew why her rape did not mean anything to him. How could it, when he had been raped himself?

Her eyes rose from her bed sheets to the box he held in his hand. She saw the ring and her heart skipped a beat. Could she still marry him? She knew she wanted to, and if he really meant what he said, maybe she could... Maybe they could...

She heard his proposal, and her heart leapt into her mouth. She really wanted this, to be his. Tentatively she glanced at her father, even though the final word would always be hers, she sought approval from her elders. She saw him nod briefly, and then she turned to face the woman who sat next to her, the woman whom she regarded as her mother. Happiness surged through her as her Auntie smiled and hugged her.

She gulped, words failed her, and she reached out to him, nodding her consent. Tears of joy cascaded down her cheeks as he hugged her.

This was not how Mike had imagined him proposing to Jo. But it did not matter, she had said yes and he had felt as if he was flying, soaring through the sky. His emotions lit up his face, and he hugged her, nothing else mattered.

Slowly he removed the ring from its box. Abby opened the door and beckoned the people sitting outside to come in. The small room became crowded as Jyoti's cousins and uncle came in. Everyone smiled as Mike slipped a golden band on her finger.

All apart from the woman at the back, the woman dressed in a black burkha who had arrived in time to see Mike place a ring on Jyoti's finger. She had arrived unnoticed and she melted into the background, her beautiful greyish blue eyes filled with tears as she backed slowly from the room. She fled, she had wanted to speak to her former friend, to get her to drop the charges that her husband and brother were facing, but somehow at the bottom of her heart she knew that the visit was going to be fruitless.

* * *

Two days later, Jyoti was allowed home. Mike insisted that he stay with her for as long as Jyoti wanted him to. He knew there would be a long journey ahead of them, a long journey of rebuilding their fragile relationship.

Jyoti slumped on the sofa, a hot water bottle resting on her stomach. She was wearing an old grey tracksuit, which in Mike's mind didn't suit her. Her hair was dull and dank and lacked its normal sheen; she had secured it back in a loose ponytail.

Mike urged her to continue her usual routine, but to no avail. She stared at the blank TV screen.

He heard a knock at the door and wondered who it could be. He called out before opening it, relieved that it was only his mother.

Diane came in and sat next to her future daughter-in-law. She took in her appearance and frowned. This was not Jo, not the girl she had met, the girl Mike had brought home.

"I'll put some dinner on, why don't you go and have a bath?" Gently she tugged her up and sent her into the bathroom.

* * *

The soak in the tub, lifted Jyoti's spirits, she washed her hair and carefully conditioned it. The whole process, bringing a sense of normality to a horrible day.

Mike chose some clothes for her and set them out on the bed. He had chosen a simple blue dress, one that he had seen her wear before at work. He waited for her to emerge from the bedroom, standing by the kitchen chatting to his mum. He turned as she opened the door to her bedroom, and his heart sank.

She was not wearing the dress that he had chosen but wore an old grey dress that hung from her shoulders. She had not tied the belt that had come with it and the thought that came into Mike's mind was – sack, nevertheless she looked good in it. It wasn't figure hugging, wasn't pretty, and it covered her from neck to below her knees in an unflattering 'A' line.

"Why didn't you wear the dress that I'd put out?" He asked quietly.

"It makes my bum look big." She muttered.

"I happen to like your bum in that dress, but then I like your bum in whatever you're wearing." He quipped, nonchalantly.

Jyoti's mouth fell open; and she turned to stare at him, she couldn't believe he had said that.

"You can wear what you want; it's not going to change how I feel about you. Personally I'd like to see you wearing something pretty, but hey." He shrugged.

Jyoti turned to Diane.

"Um... Can you excuse me for a moment?" She turned and went back to her room, emerging later wearing the blue dress that Mike had lain out for her.

He grinned as she sat down for something to eat. She had combed her hair and her dress suited her, and Mike could not help but smile. Behind Jyoti's, back he gave his mum a thumbs-up, their plan had worked.

Diane placed their plates of fish and chips in front of them telling them there was a huge container of chocolate ice cream in the fridge, comfort food was what was needed here, and no doubt, it would make Jyoti feel better. They sat at the dining table chatting about what she would like to do for in future, when were they going to get married? Where they would live?

Chatting in this manner helped Jo relax, and soon she was smiling, her laughter had not returned, but this would take time.

Diane had met and got on well with Jyoti's aunt and she had told her that it would be a good idea for Mike and Jyoti to get married quickly. A long engagement was not suitable and Jyoti's father was insisting that she get married quickly after this latest incident. She watched Mike and Jo together. Happy that Jo had now perked up, she made her excuses, and left, she told Mike that she needed to do some last minute shopping at the twenty-four hour Tesco's, before heading home.

Mike sat on the sofa waiting for Jyoti to finish in the kitchen, he was apprehensive about how the rest of the evening would follow. He called out to her.

"Do you want to watch a film?"

"Yes please," she replied softly.

"Anything in particular?"

She shook her head. All she wanted to do was switch off, let her mind wander, not think too much about recent events. She didn't want to watch horror, no sci-fi, no crime; she didn't even fancy watching anything vaguely romantic. They flicked through the channels trying to find something suitable. Half an hour later Jyoti informed Mike that she was going to retire and go to bed. But she emerged a few minutes later wearing her nightie.

"Mike ... I don't want to go to bed alone. Can you join me?"

He nodded.

Turning off the TV, he strolled into the bedroom. Taking off his clothes, he placed them neatly on one side of the dresser. Gingerly he climbed into bed, sliding in next to her. He was unsure how she felt, and if she could stomach being held, but he reached out anyway.

Stiffly she turned towards him, looking into his eyes; she was surprised to see there was nothing but care, love, and understanding. She could not help but trust him when he was like this. She felt the warmth radiating from his touch and snuggled closer, feeling nothing but his protective arms around her, and soon she fell fast asleep.

* * *

During the night, they twisted and turned and ended up away from each other.  
Mike was woken when she started flailing in bed, her hand having hit his face.

"Ow!" He clutched at his nose.

"No ... No ... No ..." Jyoti twisted her head from side to side, engrossed in her nightmare. She pushed at Mike.

"Jo, Jo, wake up! Jyoti wake up!" He shook her gently, and flinched when she screamed.

"Hey, hey, hey!" He reached for her, his heart began to pound in his chest at her reaction. He was unused to seeing her like this and it terrified him.

Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her breaths were short and close together. She began to shudder and shake, having woken from reliving her awful ordeal. She sought the comfort of his arms. The warmth from his embrace gradually spread throughout her body, calming her, reassuring her that she was safe.

"Mike... I need... Help me." Shaking she sat up, and tried to stand.

"Wait." Mike rushed around to help her. He helped her stand and carried her to the bathroom where she wanted to go. He watched as she reached for the medicine cabinet, and her hands trembled as she tried unsuccessfully to open the small bottle of Valium. Taking the pills from her, he opened the bottle and gave her two of them along with a glass of water.

She drank the water greedily, the cool liquid giving her a small measure of comfort.

Kissing her temple, he urged her back into bed. Mike's own heartbeat steadied as her breathing calmed. Slowly he began to rub her back, gently moving his fingers in a circular motion across her soft skin, and the massage seemed to soothe and calm her.

Soon her panting changed again, and Mike paused for a moment, unsure if she was gasping in pleasure or pain.

"Mike, please don't stop." She spoke her voice almost a whisper.

"Jo, I can't, I'm afraid I'll hurt you if I carry on. That I won't be able to stop myself from claiming you." Mike held his breath as his blood began heading south.

"I don't want you to stop." She looked up into his eyes.

Mike's eyes snapped open fully. Had she just said ... That she wanted him to carry on? That she wanted him? This wasn't right, she had been raped, her virginity taken against her will; surely, she needed more time?

"But ..."

Jyoti sensed his reluctance, and it seemed as if she could read his thoughts, his eyes belying what was on his mind.

"I want you to take me, make me yours and yours alone. Erase every trace of them. Please Mike, I need this, need you."

Mike heard her words, felt her shiver under his touch, and he knew that she was asking him to help her, to help her recover, and this was her way forward. But there was something, he needed to know, before he went any further.

"Jyoti are you OK with this, I mean ...," he gulped, trying to tell her what was on his mind. "You really want this? It's not going to upset you? Cause I really couldn't deal with hurting you in any way."

"Mike I know you. You're kind, gentle, caring, and I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I trust you Mike." She gazed into his loving eyes, she had waited a long time for Mike, and now she felt the time was right.

She leaned forward and kissed his lips, her tongue begged entrance to his mouth, and when he parted his lips, she increased her intensity and pulled him towards her. She held him close at first, just savouring the moment of feeling her body close to his.

He ran a fingertip down her back, eliciting a gasp from her making her wriggle; she pulled him closer for another kiss. One hand combed through his hair as they kissed, and the other around his waist pulling him closer. He could feel her breasts as she pushed up against him.

Slowly, carefully, tenderly they continued, sighing, gasping, touching, until they joined. Their bodies dancing until at last they collapsed in a satiated heap.

* * *

The following night she had been very tired and she fell asleep easily, without taking her medication. Mike had just fallen asleep himself when Jyoti's nightmare began.

She writhed in her sleep, her movements in bed woke Mike, and he had been half-asleep when he heard Jyoti talking in her sleep. Her screaming made his stomach turn.

"No, please it hurts, no more," she sobbed. What she cried out next, made Mike gasp in horror and double up in pain. "NO! Not both of you!"

She continued to groan in her sleep, thrashing wildly.

Unable to take any more of her unconscious ramblings, he shook her awake. He ran to the bathroom and reached for the Valium that he knew she needed. He was sorely tempted to take a few himself; her unconscious comments played repeatedly in his mind.

He held her as the medication began to take effect and her shudders dissolved into nothing. He held her well into the night, not wanting to let go, the awful ache in his chest from hearing her night terrors, keeping him awake.

* * *

Danny approached Mike and Jo warily. His discovery made his heart heavy with discomfort.

"Mike... Just wanted you to know. The police they found a video, a recording of the," he paused and gulped. "They made a recording of the rape."

Danny breathed in deeply, he had seen the first few minutes of the disgusting DVD, before he had turned it off. He knew Jyoti and Mike, and the images were too much, even for the ex-policeman.

"Mike the images are rather damning, Jyoti has a choice, either they are used in court to secure a conviction, or destroyed, never to be seen again."

"NO!" Mike spoke between clenched teeth; he didn't have to see the video to know that the images were horrific, revolting, and humiliating; Jo's nightmares had manifested themselves in such a way that he knew most of the disgusting details. "Destroy them."

"I want them to be kept, to be shown in court as evidence. I want people to see what they did to me, to see how disgusting they are, to make sure they never get the chance to do it again to anyone else." Jo gulped, and shuddered, knowing too well, what was on that tape, knowing that if it was seen, they would incur a hefty jail term.

She turned to Vijay who stood behind them.  
"Vijay, I want you to be my lawyer, I want you to be the one who fights for me."

A stray tear rolled down Vijay's face.

"I can't, I couldn't stop them from doing what they did to you. How can I fight them?" Vijay squinted, and scrunched up his face.

Jyoti saw the guilt etched across his features.

"Vijay please. This is the only thing I ask from you. Please do this for me." Jo began to cry, silent tears rolling down her face. "You're the only one who can help me now."

* * *

The weeks went by, and Abby had decided to stay with Jyoti for the next twenty-four hours, Mike needed a break, and he needed to spend a little while away from Jyoti so that he could pull himself together. Jyoti's nightmares were beginning to take a toll on him, and he could not help but feel affected by her sleep talking.

Abby had just come in, she had just been speaking to Mike just outside her flat.

"Jyoti, where are you?" She called.

She didn't hear anything and went looking for her, she found Jyoti just as she was about to disappear into the bathroom. She had a package in her hand, Abby reached out for her.

"Are you OK Jo?" Abby's hand connected with her arm and the package fell to the floor, the box falling out of the bag as it tumbled to the ground.

Abby stared at the blue box, unsurprised that Jyoti would need such an item. Slowly she bent down to pick it up for her friend.

"Jo?" She held the box in her hand and watched as Jyoti's face crumpled and she began to weep.

Abby's shoulders slumped and pulled Jo towards her for a hug, she rubbed her back.

"Look, you go ahead, do the test, I'll give you some space." Abby turned to head back into the living room.

"Abby, I'm scared... can you wait here for me?" Jyoti wept clutching the box which held the pregnancy test.

"Yeah, I'll just be here," Abby smiled and pointed to the bed. "I'll wait here."

Jyoti closed the door to the bathroom to do the test.

She emerged a few minutes later; she was shaking from head to toe. "Just got to wait two more minutes."  
Another tear rolled down Jyoti's cheek.

The clock ticked slowly, almost too slowly and it seemed forever that they waited for the results to show.

Finally, after what seemed an age, they could check the little stick that would tell them the truth.

Jyoti looked at the small window on the plastic stick. She looked at the plus sign and her heart sank, fresh tears erupted and she burst into tears once more.

"I take it this means that Mike isn't the father?" Abby enquired, rubbed Jo's back once more was trying to soothe her.

"Mike could be the father... Or it could be Tariq... Or it could even be Aamir!" She sobbed turning into Abby's embrace.

Abby felt awful for her friend, this was not going to be easy. How could she possibly cope, she was pregnant and it was entirely possible that Mike was the father, and equally as possible that he wasn't.

Would he walk away from her?  
Would he still want to marry her?  
Would he embrace her and love her as if the child was his?  
Would he insist on a paternity test?  
What would happen if the child wasn't his?

Trying to soothe Jyoti she asked."What are you going to do? Will you keep the baby?"

"I don't know..." she sniffed. If being raped by both of them wasn't bad enough, she was now pregnant, and out of three men, she didn't know who the father was.

"You have to tell him... Mike. It wouldn't be fair to keep him in the dark. He loves you and I'm sure that he wouldn't leave you."

The women spoke well into the night, after a while Jyoti told Abby she was tired and needed to sleep.

That night Jyoti's nightmares were worse, now not only did Tariq and Aamir haunt her, but Mike seemed to taunt her too.

* * *

_Poor Jo, Poor Mike, or as Prawn Crackers and I have dubbed our lovebirds - Moti (It actually meand Pearls in Gujerati)_

_Please tell me what you thought..._


	10. Chapter 10

_**Mike Malonino**_

_**Chapter 10**_

_**First of all thank you to YouHaveLovelyHair for all her help with this story. You are AWESOME.**_

_A big Thank you also goes to Rubytronix, Prawn Crackers, Mijo54, Aunteeneenah, and Saden Becker for being so understanding._

_Apologies to the rest of you for not updating sooner, RL got in the way. Rather massively too._

_Warning: This chapter mentions rape. I have not gone into detail, and do not condone the actions of the men involved; but please remember that this is fiction. _

_Please note not all Muslims are bad and many of them would be horrified at the actions mentioned._

_Again if the mention of rape affects you in any way DO NOT READ._

_You have been warned._

* * *

A week had passed by and Jyoti had still not told Mike about her condition even though he spoke to her regularly, ringing her throughout the day to speak to her.

It was his turn to stay with Jyoti and he smiled as he knocked on her door. He expected a cheery reply but was saddened when she opened the door dressed in her old grey tracksuit.

"You're a sight for sore eyes." He put a smile on his face hiding his disappointment at her unappealing appearance. This was going to take a long time. He leaned in to kiss her and was saddened even more when she let him kiss her cheek.

"I've not eaten anything you know," Mike, told her.

Jyoti frowned; she clearly didn't understand Mike.

"I've not eaten any burgers, no roasts; in fact I've not eaten anything with beef in for at least six months." He explained.

Jyoti's mouth fell open, she had not asked him to stop eating his favourite foods, and he had just done it of his own accord. "Why?"

"Because I love you, and I want to be able to kiss you whenever I want... Please can I have a proper kiss?" He leaned in again, and this time his heart leapt joyously, as his lips pressed against hers.

"Love you," He whispered as he kissed her again, his tongue pushed past her lips and began to explore her mouth.

"I love you too," she mumbled half-heartedly.

-o-o-o-

* * *

That night Mike seemed to know that something was wrong. He could sense it from the moment he walked into the room.

Dinner was a quiet affair, Mike loved the spicy curry that she had made, and even though he tried not to, he compared it to the curries that Samira had cooked all those years ago. He savoured the taste of the prawn dish that she had served with the rice, and without a doubt he knew which he preferred – The one made by Jyoti's fair hand.

After helping her to clear up and wash the dishes, they sat on the sofa, and although Jo had mellowed a little, she was still tense. Jyoti could tell it was only a matter of time before she fell asleep. She enjoyed Mike's company and he made her relax in a way that no one ever could.

Mike had switched to an episode of Top Gear. Jyoti, was exhausted, the pregnancy hormones had kicked in, and although she wanted to give him company in front of the TV, could not help but start to drift off to sleep. Her head began nodding, her eyelids began to droop and eventually she rested her head on Mike's willing shoulder and as exhaustion took over, she fell asleep.

Slowly Mike lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom. Trying not to wake her, he pulled off her jogging bottoms and her top, gently he stroked her fading bruises, glad that they were disappearing and would be gone in a matter of weeks, and then, tenderly he tucked her into bed.

He had wanted to join her, but it was still early and Mike feared that if he retired now, he would not sleep properly later. Leaving her bedroom door open, he settled down to finish watching TV.

An hour later, he was about to retire when he heard Jo's moans of discomfort. He could tell that she was dreaming again. He began to worry what she would mumble in her sleep tonight and quietly he padded over to her room.

"Hush, I'm here," gently he stroked her cheek. The action seemed to calm her and she settled once more.

Mike walked around to what was fast becoming his side of the bed, taking off his socks, jeans, and t-shirt; he folded them neatly and put them on the side. He padded into the bathroom to brush his teeth. He came back to find Jyoti moaning in her sleep once more, and it seemed to Mike that her nightmares had returned with a vengeance. He wondered if he should wake her, so that she could take her medication.

He stood up to fetch the Valium which he knew she needed, but he stopped.

_"MIKE! PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"_She screamed in her slumber, tears falling thick and fast down her face, leaving big wet marks on her pillow.

"Jo, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere. Wake up!" Panicking he shook her until he roused her. Jyoti screamed as she woke, she saw Mike through the haze caused by her teary eyes. Immediately she sat up and clutched at him for dear life.

"Hey... I'm not leaving you..." He cooed, stroking her hair, rubbing her back, calming her, as much as he could.

"You didn't take your medication... Wait here, I'll get it for you."

"No, Mike please, stay here." She begged.

"I won't be a minute, I'll just get your tablets and a glass of water, and then you can tell me about your nightmare." He urged gently.

"Mike please, I can't... I can't ..." More tears tumbled down her face. "I can't take those anymore..." she wept.

_"I'M PREGNANT!"_She wailed.

Mike stopped. He felt...

Shocked, overwhelmed, happy, pleased, glad, joyful, cheerful, exultant, ecstatic, and delighted. He didn't know how he could experience all these emotions all at once, but that was how he felt.

She was pregnant, carrying his child and he felt over the moon! But hang on... Why was she crying? Was she not happy...? Then he realised why... Her rape came back to haunt him once more.

His feelings of ecstasy changed, and he became sad, depressed, melancholy, unhappy, and heartbroken, and now with all these contradictory feelings, he didn't know how he felt.

Now he understood her pain, and he plonked himself down on the edge of her bed. She was unhappy because she didn't know who the father was. She didn't know if it was him, or Tariq, or Aamir.

"Mike please say something," Jyoti blubbered.

"What do you want me to say?" He queried softly, unaware of the effect his words would have on her.

Jo shrank away from him. She distanced herself from the hurt that she knew she was going to have to deal with.

"I think you'd better just go." She turned to shed more tears into her pillow, hugging the inanimate object, she wept once more.

Mike was shocked by her words, "What?"

"It's obvious you don't want to be here, you'd better just go."

Mike realised what an idiot he had been, his reaction had been completely wrong and she had interpreted it wrongly.

"No, I'm not leaving you..." He tugged at her arm, pulling her until she let go of the pillow and let herself be cuddled by him. "I'm not leaving you."

"I'm sorry Jo; I reacted like a complete and utter prat. I'm sorry; I didn't say anything, partly because I couldn't. I couldn't think of what to say to you. I still can't... I'm ... shocked... I never expected you to say that at all." Mike rambled. He squeezed her gently, continuously rubbing her back, her shoulders, and her hair.

"I love you Jo. I could never leave you."

Jyoti looked up into his sincere eyes and gulped, she could tell that he spoke from his heart, it was written all over his face; in his eyes, his posture, the way he held her, caressed her, his mouth inches from hers; the way he leaned towards her, the way his lips gently pressed against hers, and the way he nuzzled at her neck.

Calmness fell over Jyoti, and she sighed, her tears ebbed away and she reached for a tissue at the side of her bed. Dabbing at her nose, she urged him into bed.  
Mike lay with one hand behind his head and the other curled around Jyoti hold her close.

"Jo... How many weeks pregnant are you?" He mumbled quietly.

"I'm about six weeks."

"So that would mean that you were on your period at Christmas...? Right?"

"Roughly... Yeah... Why do you ask?"

"Nothing in particular, I'm just trying to figure something out... Today is the 9th February... Jess's Birthday party was on the 4th January... and then we made love..." he huffed.

"You know what, I don't care ..." He rolled towards her. "No matter what anybody says, this baby is mine. No tests are going to be able to change my mind. This baby is ours and ours alone."

Jyoti buried her head into Mike's chest; he felt dampness, spreading from her face.

"Hey," he tipped her face up to look at her and noticed her tears.

"Mike, please don't hate me for this, but I want an abortion." She whimpered.

Mike gasped. He wanted to scream at the top of his voice.

"Jo, I'd rather you didn't go down that route." He whispered trying to keep his voice calm.

"Don't get me wrong Mike, I so want this baby to be yours, but just couldn't bear it if the father was Aamir or Tariq. I couldn't bring up a child that was a result of rape."

"And I wouldn't be happy with giving it up for adoption." He paused, there had to be a way around this. "Jo, have you told your dad?"

"No, I daren't, he would go into shock, and it could kill him." Jo snuggled closer to Mike.

"You'll have to tell him eventually, what else can we do?"

Jo leaned up to face him, she didn't have any ideas and she gazed at hm expectantly.

"We could get married, move the wedding day closer… You do want us to get married, don't you?" Mike questioned.

"Of course I do..."

"Hang on… That was what your nightmare was about; you thought I was going to leave you because you're pregnant?"

Jo nodded miserably.

"I love you Jo. I'm not leaving you, ever." He pulled her close cuddling her once more.

-o-o-o-o-

* * *

Connor woke up with a start, he began clutching his chest.

"What's up love?" Abby rubbed his back supporting him.

"I don't know, it feels raw, kinda like me heart's breaking into pieces." He turned towards her. "I wonder if it's Mike. He's been going through a tough time at the moment, what with Jo and the way she's been lately."

"Possibly. Look you can't do anything about it now, it's one o'clock, why don't you get some rest and talk to him in the morning. Eh?" She smiled encouragingly.

"Yeah..." he lay back down and Abby rubbed his chest, soothing him as he fell asleep once more.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Everyone taking turns to spend the night with Jo, tonight Abby and Luke were with her. Emily and Matt had spent the evening with her yesterday, and they told Mike that she still suffered from her night terrors.

Mike was worried, Jo's nightmares had not abated, and because of her pregnancy, she had stopped taking her medication. He saw her sinking into the depths of depression, and it broke his heart many times over to see her do so.

He was so worried that one evening he sat down to dinner and decided he was going to ask his mum.

"Mum I'm worried about Jo, she's stopped taking her medication because she's pregnant, and she's getting worse. She's having more nightmares than ever and she's sinking back into depression. What can I do to help her mum?" He sat at the kitchen table playing with his food, whilst Diane stood at the sink washing up.

Diane had known of Jo's pregnancy and of her uncertainty regarding the father, of her reluctance to carry the baby to term.

"I understand how she feels, and she must realise this herself, of how important she is to you. I know that she does a super job where you work, she's looked after you a lot, but she has to realise, by herself, how important she is. There's not much you can do but support her through thick and thin."

"But for her to see her importance, she has to be at work... Right?" Mike's eyes began to twinkle. If she was at work, maybe she would focus less on recent horrid events, and look forward instead.

"Yes, so maybe you ought to persuade her to return to work, it might give her something else to think about."

Mike smiled; yes, he would try to get her to return to work.

-o-o-o-

* * *

His mobile phone rang, and seeing Jyoti's name on the display he answered it quickly.

"What's up Jo? What? Your aunt hasn't seen or heard form Vijay? OK ... I've got his mobile number; I'll get Connor to trace it." He paused as he listened to Jo on the other end. "I'll get back to you once I've found him. See you later."

Quickly he rang Connor and went round to see him at his home.

Connor had company, Danny had gone round and after checking the computer the three men set out to try and find Vijay. His mobile phone signal led them to a pub in the centre of town. Vijay sat at the bar nursing a glass of whiskey. It wasn't clear how many he'd had, but it was clear that he'd drunk a few glasses already.

The three men escorted Vijay back to Connor's home, where Connor said that Vijay could crash on the couch.

"Won't Abby mind?" Vijay asked.

"No, she's with Jo tonight, we decided that Mike needed a break, and so she's with her." Connor set two glasses and bottles of whiskey on the coffee table one in front of Vijay and one in front of Mike.

"I think you need these," Mike stared up at Connor; he knew that he didn't drink; he knew the consequences of what could happen if Mike got drunk. Usually it ended with him going wayward and having his way with the fairer sex.

Connor seemed to read his mind.

"I'm going to be keeping an eye on you, Abby's not here, and there is no way I'm going to let you out of that front door. Drink! I know you need this Mike, I can feel it, I can feel your agony, and I know that this is going to be the best way to deal with it."

Vijay leaned forward and poured three fingers into a glass, he drank it all in one go; and winced as it burned his throat on the way to his stomach.

"You know what's eating at me... Watching that bloody video. It's tearing me apart seeing what those bastards did to my sister!" He sat with his elbows on his knees and his eyes filled.

Mike knew how he felt, Jyoti's nightmares were affecting him in much the same way, and he didn't have to watch the video to know what had happened to his lover. Jyoti's nightmares had even led to his own nightmares returning. He watched as Vijay poured himself another three fingers and drank that in one go too.

"It's seeing those images, of both of them! _BLOODY HELL! BOTH OF THEM!"_A tear rolled down his cheek, his face showed the excruciating pain in his heart, the hurt that he felt.

Mike scrunched up his eyes, his heart was breaking, the pain was unbearable, he could tolerate it no longer, and he opened his eyes and reached for the unopened bottle of whiskey. Quickly unscrewing the top, he raised the bottle and drank, not bothering with a glass. The amber liquid burned his throat and Mike felt it slowly filling the hole in his heart, numbing the pain which radiated throughout his body.

"What are tearing me up are her nightmares, she's begun to talk in her sleep and the things she says are just _SO DISGUSTING!"_His eyes glistened with unshed tears; his face belied his feelings of being powerless, helplessness at not being able to do anything to ease the pain his lover was going through.

"I think I'll go blind if I watch that DVD again..." Vijay began to slur his words.

"You know I actually sat there and counted the number of times she said 'No.'" He gulped before continuing.

"_23 TIMES!_23 times she screamed!" This time Vijay dispensed with the glass and drank straight from the bottle too. Tears streamed down his face as he recalled the gruesome film, he drank again, the whiskey began to take hold, and numb the pain of his broken heart.

Connor and Danny looked at each other, they could not believe what they were hearing, they could understand why the two men were hurting so much, and even Connor was sorely tempted to down a drink or two. He was glad that Abby and Luke were not around to hear any of this.

Danny's hands fisted at his sides, if he ever got hold of those two, he would certainly teach them a lesson they'd never forget. He knew Mike would have a hard time staying away from drink, but on this occasion, he needed it, he needed to be able to talk about what was on his mind, and in the long run he would be better for it.

He felt sorry for Vijay, it had been Jyoti's decision that the DVD be used as evidence in the trial and now the poor man had to watch every minute of the damned thing three times over so that it could be used. Documenting everything that happened for the courts. He realised that as strong as Vijay was, even this was breaking him a little bit at a time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike woke to the smell of breakfast being made, his stomach lurched at the aroma of the bacon being fried and without checking who was cooking he rushed into the toilet to be violently sick. Having purged the liquid contents of his stomach, he began to wander into the kitchen, only to be pushed out of the way by Vijay who looked equally as sick.

He felt as if little men were hammering away inside his head trying to get out, little devils who wanted to beat Tariq to a pulp, his stomach felt like he had filled it with petrol and set alight, and the smell of the frying in the kitchen was making him heave.

"Morning," Connor called cheerily as he began to set the table.

"Why did you let me drink?" Mike grunted.

"Because you needed it." Connor informed him calmly, "I was feeling your anger and pain at what's happened to Jo. I could tell it was eating away at you, and it was only a matter of time before you broke completely."

"Look, you haven't broken any laws you know, not being allowed to drink was part of your parole conditions. You've served your time, the fact that you have stayed at the ARC was because you wanted to stay, and not drinking was a personal decision, am I right?" Danny came out of the kitchen carrying a frying pan and he set it on the table mat that Connor had put out.

Mike nodded.

"How are you feeling?" Connor asked.

"Like I've been run over by a bulldozer!"

"But are you feeling better for having told us what was on your mind?"

"Why, what did I say?" Mike racked his brains, what had he said the night before? He remembered Vijay saying something about the video, but he couldn't remember anything else.

"Well once the two of you got going you were going on about Jo, the rape, what happened, and I swear if those two weren't already locked up, me and Danny were going to sort them out ourselves! You broke my heart with the things you told me... You can't remember any of it?"

Mike shook his sore head, as Vijay stumbled out from the bathroom, if anything he still looked a bit drunk.

"How about you, what can you remember from last night?"

Vijay stared at Mike incredulously, and then he blinked.

"Last I remember I was in a bar! Where am I? How on earth did I get here?" Vijay rubbed his face, his shirt hung out from his trousers, and his tie hung from his waist.

Mike looked around the room, whilst Connor explained, and noticed two empty bottles of whiskey on the coffee table.

"Was that just Vijay and myself, or did you guys join us?" He picked up the bottles and held them up, before stumbling into the kitchen to throw them out.

"Just you and Vijay..." Connor replied. "Though with the things you were saying, I was really tempted."

"You really don't remember any of what you were talking about last night?" Danny enquired.

Mike and Vijay both shook their heads.

Connor and Danny exchanged glances.

"Maybe it's best that you don't. Don't worry, whatever you said last night, stays here, never to be mentioned again. Right Danny?" Connor turned to Danny who brought in a tray of hot steaming coffee.

"Definitely!"

"I can't remember if I told you that she wants an abortion..." Mike spoke morosely, sitting down at the table.

Vijay's head snapped up, and he blinked. Had he heard that right?

"ABORTION? Jyoti's pregnant?" Vijay stared at Mike, and then at Connor and Danny. Judging by their lack of reaction, Mike had told them about Jo's pregnancy the night before, only he hadn't remembered it.

Slowly he walked up behind Mike.

"So the father could be Tariq, or it could be Aamir..." Vijay's, voice was soft; almost unbelieving of what he was hearing.

"Or it could be me..." Mike added; sadness tinged his voice.

"WHAT?!" Vijay's eyes opened wide, his voice raised an octave.

"You too...?" Angrily he pulled at Mike's chair pulling him up by his shirt. "YOU RAPED JYOTI?!"

"NO!" Mike retaliated, pushing Vijay's hands away from him. "I swear it wasn't rape, _I COULDN'T DO THAT TO HER!"  
_  
"Did she say No at any point?" Vijay's hands fisted, he sorely wanted to punch something and at the moment his anger was directed at Mike.

Mike cast his mind back to that night, the night he and Jyoti had made love.

"No... Maybe... Yes... I can't remember!" Oh god, how his head hurt! He screwed up his face trying to remember. "Yes... She might have done."

Vijay gulped, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hear the rest of this but he had to ask, for his sister's sake he simply had to know.

"What did you do?"

Danny stood up, was he going to have to pull them apart again?

"I stopped of course! What do you take me for? I couldn't do that to Jyoti, I simply couldn't!" He paused to blink. "It was all about her that night; I didn't do anything she didn't agree to."

Vijay sighed, calming down, he continued. "You still love her right? Still want to marry her, even if the baby is not yours?"

Mike gazed at Vijay; he noticed the look on his face. He could tell that Vijay cared for his cousin, he could see that, and he admired his determination of trying to secure a conviction for Tariq and Aamir, and although the man was trying his best, cracks were beginning to show. Vijay just wanted the best for his cousin, he woman he called his sister, the woman who was loved differently by both men.

"I would marry her tomorrow if I could..."

-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

_**I would love to hear your thoughts... **_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Mike Malonino**_

**_Chapter 11_**

_First of all thank you to YouHaveLovelyHair for all her help with this story. You are AWESOME._

_A big Thank you also goes to Rubytronix, Prawn Crackers, Mijo54, Aunteeneenah, and Saden Becker for being so understanding._

_Please note not all Muslims are bad and many of them would be horrified at the actions mentioned._

_And I would like to dedicate this chapter to Cengiz. _

* * *

-o-o-o-

The next evening, Mike went to see Jyoti, this evening she was joined by her Auntie Meena and her father. Vijay had told them of Jyoti's pregnancy and they were not too happy. In fact Jo's father wanted them to get married even sooner than planned, preferably before Jo started showing and could not hide the pregnancy any longer.

Suresh had been dismayed by this particular bit of news, an unwed girl, who had been raped and was now expecting, was frowned upon in the Hindu community and such a stigma was one he did not want for his precious daughter. He sincerely hoped that Mike would not leave her at a time like this.

He seemed to trust Mike; somehow he knew that if this child did indeed belong to Mike, then it was a result of their love for each other, and not some vile act. Both Mike and Jo did not disapprove, and he and Auntie Meena began to prepare for the inevitable wedding.

Mike had suggested to Jyoti that maybe returning to work wouldn't be such a bad idea. She would be surrounded by soldiers anyway and hopefully it would speed up her recovery.

Auntie Meena agreed with him.

"Unhappy mother's make unhappy babies." She advised, knowing that Jyoti would see sense and hopefully she would try to cheer up for the baby's well being.

Just then, Mike's mobile phone began to ring.

"Hello, Mike..." He listened for a moment.

"OK. I'll be there in a few, tell me are there any injuries?" He mouthed to Jyoti.

"It's Jess."

"We need a medic. I'll bring Jyoti."

"Come on you are needed." He grabbed Jyoti's hand and pulled her with him.

Reluctantly Jo complied, under the circumstances, she really didn't want to go, but Mike gave her no choice.

Putting in her earpiece, she spoke to Jess.  
"What's happened Jess?" she asked.

"A car has come through the anomaly. The driver, she looks to be heavily pregnant, and if I'm not mistaken, she's just gone into labour."

"How old does she look?"

"Early thirties... I'm guessing, it's really hard to tell over the CCTV."

"Connor, Matt, and Becker are on their way." Jess concluded.

With the coordinates Jess had given to Mike, he put his foot down on the accelerator, and soon they had arrived at the anomaly site.

Jo gasped as they arrived.

"Oh my God, Mike ... I can't do this!"

"Of course you can, she needs you," Mike coaxed.

"You don't understand... that woman is my mum! And the baby she's carrying; is me!" Jo went pale.

"Mum told me that when she went into labour with me, she ended up lost in the middle of nowhere and a group of people came to help her, one of them, the woman who helped deliver me, was called Jyoti. I was named after her." Jyoti continued.

"Oh..."

Matt heard her and he told her what she must do.

"You've got to help her; none of us can do it, go, and do your job." Matt instructed.

Jyoti gulped. Would she be able to help her, to put all her feelings behind her? To help the woman she had not seen in over twelve years?

Suddenly, she heard Mike begin to whistle. It was her favourite tune,

_"Humee tuhmse pyaara kitna, yeah hum nahin jaanetey, mugaar jee nahin saaktey, tumhaare bina..."_ It was when he winked at her she understood what he was trying to say.

_'I don't know how much I love you, but I know that I can't live without you'._

It was a sublime message of encouragement, of how much he loved her, that if she didn't help her mother through labour, then she might never be born.

Jyoti realised that her own future was at stake here.

She hoped that her mother wouldn't recognise her, but then why would she? Her mother had never seen her, to her mother; she was a baby that had not been born yet, so why would seeing Jyoti now seem odd?

Gingerly she stepped forward. Then she gulped again, with renewed conviction she walked steadily towards her mother.

Approaching the Asian woman who was indeed in her thirties, she introduced herself as Dr Patel. Quickly she assessed her injuries, although they were not life threatening to Mrs Lalita Patel or her unborn child, Jyoti felt that it would not be wise to move her too far.

She found an old blanket from the back of her mum's car and spreading it out in the back of the SUV, she began to make her comfortable.

Mike looked over her Mum's car, it was considered a new car from the other side of the anomaly, and whilst it was in good working order, the tyres had blown and needed replacing. He quickly set to work repairing the car whilst Matt and Becker maintained a check on the open anomaly and checked the surrounding areas for animals.

Jyoti noted the time of Lalita's contraction. It had been the first one she had noticed and the second one could be a while yet. She blinked as she stared at the woman who was her mother. She listened as her mother groaned in a language that the others could not understand, but Jyoti understood, she understood and replied in perfect Gujarati, the language she was speaking.

They stared back, stunned at the use of her own language, and then she relaxed and the two women's spoke together, using words that were familiar to both of them, but alien to Matt, Becker and even Mike.

Lalita couldn't help but notice the tear that rolled down Jyoti's cheek.

"What's wrong dear?" she spoke as one woman to another, unaware of their connection.

"You remind me of my own mother." Jyoti spoke truthfully.

"Where is she now?"

Jyoti gulped, what did she say? How could she tell the woman who was her mother that she had died when her daughter had only been fifteen? That she did not exist in this timeline?

Jyoti's silence and fluttering eyelashes told Lalita that her mother passed away.

"She died?"

Jyoti nodded miserably.

"Such a shame," she reached out to hold Jyoti's hand. Wishing that she could hug her. Jyoti grasped her hand and small smile appeared on her face.  
"What happened?"

"Cancer. She found out rather late, and then the doctors couldn't do anything for her."

Lalita squeezed Jyoti's hand, she seemed to know that something else was troubling Jyoti. She could see it in her sad eyes.

"You miss her don't you?"

"Yes... There's so much I want to tell her, but I can't." Another tear trickled down Jo's face.

"Will you tell me?"

Jyoti gasped; could she just tell her mother a small snippet? She would not have to know that she was her daughter. Just...

"Something terrible happened, and now not only am I still unwed, but I'm pregnant too."

Lalita smiled. "I've been watching you, with the young gentleman over there. He loves you? No?"

Jyoti nodded.

"Does he know about your pregnancy?"

Jyoti nodded again.

"Is he the father?"

"I don't know."

"And yet he still stands by your side, he comes over to hold your hand. It is clear he loves you very much. Don't turn away from him, men like that are very rare." They looked over at Mike who was rolling a wheel over towards the front of the car.

He looked up, and over to them, and gave a small thumbs up signal, checking that everything was OK. Jyoti smiled and returned the sign.

Lalita hissed at the beginning of her next contraction. They were twenty minutes apart so Jyoti began to prepare further. It was not wise to send her to the other side of the anomaly; she wouldn't even make it to the hospital in time. It was best to deliver the baby here and then send them back. Nevertheless, she began to worry, what if the anomaly closed and her mother never made it back, she would be stuck here and baby Jyoti would grow up in the wrong timeline.

She voiced her worries to Matt, who informed her that if the anomaly did close, they still had Connor's anomaly opening device, so they could reopen the rift to send mother and child back.

Satisfied that things were under control, she began walking over to Mike.

"How's the car coming along?"

Mike smiled. At least she was focussing on something other than recent events.

"Good, I just need to fit this second tyre, and she'll be good to go." He stood up and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "How's it going over there? Does she know who you are?"

"She's all right, I've just told her my name, but she doesn't know who I am. I'll need hot water, where can we get hot water?"

"I'll get onto Jess and see what we can do."

"Oh, and I'll need a towel?"

"I've got one in my truck, I was going to go to the gym later, and I'll go and get it."

Jyoti looked at her watch. "I've gotta go,"

She turned and walked quickly back to where her mother was waiting. Her mind was still in turmoil, her mother was only going to live for fifteen more years, surely, if she said something, she would be able to change history and her mother might live longer.

She decided that she was going to say something, but something else stopped her, what if her idea didn't work? What if something else happened and her mother still died as a result? She blinked back her tears and changed her mind again.

Methodically she checked Lalita's vital signs. Turning on the portable ultrasound machine, she heard the baby's heartbeat - nice and strong. Following the medical procedures Jo felt a calmness she had not felt for ages, for a brief moment she was able to put recent events behind her, and concentrate on her work.

Lalita's contractions became more intense and she panted when her womb contracted. Jyoti had managed to procure a bottle of gas and air for pain relief and she used this to help her mother as the contractions came closer and closer together.

Checking her mother Jyoti knew it would not be much longer before the baby was born.

Giving her instructions to push when the next contraction became intense. Mike could see that Jyoti needed help and setting down his EMD he aided the woman by getting in behind her, supporting her back, helping her, tilting her so that she sat at an angle more suited to childbirth.

The contractions became stronger and soon Jyoti could see the baby's head crowning, she instructed her mother to push harder. Moments later, the baby was pushed into the world, the baby who would grow to become Dr Jyoti Patel; it took great big gulps of air for the first time and cried with all the energy it could muster.

She placed the baby straight onto the new mothers chest, knowing that for bonding to begin quickly, she needed to hand the baby over, those first few moments after the baby's birth were the most crucial.

As the baby lay on Lalita's stomach, Jyoti checked it over for any abnormalities, she marvelled at the tiny hands and feet, perfectly formed.

"It's a girl..." It was at this moment she noticed her mother's tears.

"You are happy aren't you?" She began to worry, she knew the importance of boys within the family, was she a disappointment to her mother?

Her mother shook her head. "I wanted a girl, I knew it would be a girl, my husband also wanted a girl, I don't know why, but he just did." The woman sobbed happily.

Jyoti wrapped the baby carefully in the towel and passed the small infant to Mike to hold while she checked the older woman.

Mike stared at the baby, the baby that would grow up to be the woman he loved, he blinked as the newborn opened her eyes, and he noticed how the child's eyes were the same shade and shape as the woman he loved. He didn't know why, but it felt weird holding the babe. The tiny baby who would grow into his fiancé.

He knew that he loved Jyoti, he just didn't realise when Jo's love for him had begun. Was it when she met him as they grew up? Or did Jyoti's love for him go as far back as the day she was born? He smiled as he looked down at her, gazing into those beautiful eyes.

"I can't help but notice how good you are with babies," Lalita smiled through her unending tears.

"I have that effect on women," Mike joked, maybe it was with a certain woman, a woman called Jyoti. "She's beautiful, what are you going to call her?"

"Oh I don't know," she turned to Jyoti. "What's your name again?"

"Jo... Jyoti," Jo smiled.

"It's such a beautiful name, meaning light, just like that light over there." She gazed at the anomaly, the glittering sphere of shards. Little did she know that it was the gateway between two separate time lines.

She looked over to the little bundle in Mike's arms.

"Jyoti, she'll be Jyoti Patel, and hopefully she'll be just as good as you. Who knows, she might even become a doctor just like you."

Mike and Jyoti exchanged glances, if only Mrs Patel knew the truth.

"Is she good to go?" Matt questioned Jyoti.

She nodded, "We get her to the other side and call an ambulance. She'll be fine."

Jyoti sat with Lalita as Mike drove her car back through the anomaly.

"The two of you will make a wonderful couple one day, but just remember this... A good partnership needs one or both of you to compromise." Lalita suggested, throughout her labour Jyoti had told her of the relationship the two shared and felt this little bit of advice would go a long way to aiding their future.

A tear rolled down Jyoti's face. If she didn't tell her now, her mother would never know, and she would never be able to act on the information she could give.

"As a doctor I have to tell you to be careful. You must check for breast cancer, check yourself every six months, and if you can manage it more than that, you never know, one day it could save your life."

Lalita stared at her, why was the young doctor telling her this? She dismissed this information, putting it in a corner of her mind to think about later, as the little babe in her arms began to cry. She began to rock, settling the infant.

Jyoti watched as Mike stopped the car by a phone box, and calling for an ambulance, they waited until it arrived.

She couldn't help but feel an ache in her heart, she so wanted to hug her mother, to tell her the truth; that she was her daughter. That by some weird quirk she had ended up in the future, that she had been brought home, so that the timeline could continue.

A tear rolled down her cheek as her mother was driven away in the ambulance. She let herself be pulled closer by Mike who hugged her. She wept as she realised that she might never get the chance to see her mother again. With a heavy heart she trudged back through the anomaly with Mike.

-o-o-o-

* * *

It began raining, and soon the drizzle became a downpour as they drove back to her flat in silence, the evenings events played over and over in each other's minds.

Mike ran his hands through his wet hair as he escorted her back up to her flat where they knew Auntie Meena was waiting.

Jyoti was about to put the key in the door to open it when he stopped her.

"Listen, about the baby, I know you don't think that it's mine, I know you really don't want a child that's a result of this awful experience. Whilst I'm convinced this baby is mine, you're not." He huffed.

"If an abortion is really what you want... Then go for it... Your body... Your rules."

Slowly Mike gulped and backed away, his heart heavy, he had listened to Lalita as she spoke of compromise, and this was his.

He hated himself for saying it. He really couldn't bear the thought of killing this child, but what really mattered, was Jo. He would rather lose this child than risk his relationship with her. He loved her too much; he loved her so much that it hurt. He sat down in his car, screwed up his face, and wept.

Wept because he felt so out of control.

Wept because he loved Jyoti.

Wept because at the bottom of his heart, he was convinced that the child Jyoti carried was his.

Wept, hoping that one day he would be able to forgive her for what she was about to do.

-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

Jyoti looked on as Mike trudged away from her front door. His feet dragged heavily and she could tell that although he had just given his permission for her to have this abortion, he was not completely happy with this decision.

Slowly she turned and opened her front door. Absently she went in. She looked up and stared at her aunt.

"Hello." Auntie Meena smiled. Jo had forgotten how much her mother and Auntie Meena looked alike. She looked so much like her mother it was uncanny, and It was almost as if she was talking to her mother again.

Suddenly Jyoti realised what she had to do. She turned and ran out of the door. Quickly she ran as fast her feet could carry her, hoping that he had not driven off, hoping that she could stop him.

-o-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike sniffed, dried his eyes and started the car engine; he turned on the headlights and the windscreen wipers, and almost shouted at the soaking, ghost like figure in front of the car.

"Stop ...!" The figure shouted.

Mike blinked and rubbed his eyes. What was Jyoti doing in front of his car? What was wrong? Had Tariq broken out of prison to haunt her?

Terrified as to what had brought on this reaction he turned off the engine; he opened the door and got out.

"What's wrong? Has something happened? Is someone inside?" He babbled.

Jyoti shook her vehemently. "No! Nothing like that. I just don't want you to go, not like this, we need to talk Mike."

Oh god! She had said those dreaded words... 'We need to talk...' he gulped and nodded. He wasn't sure if he had the courage to hear what she had to say. It would tear him apart completely if she said she didn't want to be with him anymore.

"I LOVE YOU!" She grabbed him and pressed her lips against his, tears began to roll down her eyes again, and slowly she led him back inside.

There was a glimmer of hope in Mike's eyes as her lips met with his, he felt a jolt of electricity flow through his body, and he let himself be led away by her, back to her flat back to somewhere they could sit down to talk. In the back of his mind he wondered if he was going to regret this.

"Mike ... I know that you really don't want me to get rid of this baby ... So I've decided to keep it, I just don't know how I'd - be able to cope if it didn't belong to you." She hung her head, "This pregnancy is driving us apart, and I can't stand it. I don't want to lose you. Don't want us to lose what we have."

She buried her head into his shoulder and wept. She remembered her conversation with her mother and knew that if she wanted to keep Mike, keeping the baby would have to be her compromise. Jyoti knew that Mike was her pillar of strength and support, and she hoped that he would be able to help her overcome this particular obstacle.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

Seeing Jo return with Mike, Auntie Meena agreed to go home, she knew that Mike would stay with her tonight.

Vijay her son, had been working on his computer, and he packed up his briefcase. A file fell out of his hand and several photographs came tumbling out.

Auntie Meena gasped at the sight of one of them.

"Where did you get this?" She shuddered, picking up the pictures.

"It's one of the men who hurt Jyoti, Why do you ask? Do you know him?" Vijay asked.

She nodded, shaking.

"He is the one, this is the one who killed your mother Jyoti!"

Jyoti couldn't understand it, her mother had died of cancer.

Vijay urged his mother to sit, "Tell me what happened..."

"You remember the day that Mike was charged with the murder of the Nun? Well your mother saw it! She saw the man, who really killed her, and she was going to report it to the police, but before she could make a statement, this man came round" she pointed to a photograph. "_HE_ was the one who stuck a knife in her stomach!"

"But I thought Mum died of cancer?" Jyoti queried.

"NO!" Auntie Meena sobbed. "She was in remission! She remembered what that doctor who delivered you told her! She had the cancer treated – Don't you remember?" Auntie Meena pointed to a picture on a shelf nearby.

It was her mother at her sixteenth birthday party; it must have been taken before she died. Jyoti shook her head. She didn't remember this picture being taken; her mother had died before her sixteenth birthday. Had they by some weird quirk managed to change the past? Had she, by telling her mother about breast cancer, managed to change when her mother died, only for her to die at the hands of this monster?

"It was him! He came back... He killed her! He threatened Auntie Sangita and me too! We saw what happened that day your mother died, and he told us that if we ever told anyone, that he'd kill us too!" Terrified, she clamped her hand over her mouth, tears streaming down her face.

"Vijay ... I'm scared! What if he comes after me?"

Mike looked at the photograph and his blood began to boil. Aamir, Aamir had been the one to ruin everything!

"Mum we have to tell the police what we know." Vijay put an arm around his mother and gave her a tissue.

"We'll tell the police tonight."

Promising to go straight to the police station to make a statement, Vijay and his mother left.

That night Mike and Jyoti talked at length about what they wanted from the future. Both of them kept in mind what Lalita had said about compromise. Jyoti agreed to keep the baby until it was born, she would decide then what to do if it did not belong to Mike.

-o-o-o-

* * *

_Coming soon..._

_The Trial!_

_I would love to hear your thoughts..._


	12. Chapter 12

**_Chapter 12_**

**_Thank you to YouHaveLovelyHair for the help with this chapter._**

_Warning: This chapter mentions rape – Of a different sort. I have not gone into detail, and do not condone the actions of the men involved; but please remember that this is fiction. _

_Please note not all Muslims are bad and many of them would be horrified at the actions mentioned._

_Again if the mention of rape affects you in any way DO NOT READ._

_You have been warned._

* * *

The day of the trial arrived and everyone gathered to be with Jyoti, leaving the ARC with a skeleton crew.

The video that Danny had managed to find was being used as evidence and she had given it to Vijay. Vijay had not been happy about using this, but Jyoti had insisted, by saying that it was the most damning evidence he could use against them, and it would earn them a hefty jail term.

Mike watched from the gallery as the trial continued. He focused on Tariq, who had his head down. He noticed that his former friend could not watch the video. He thought he was mistaken, but Tariq actually looked embarrassed.

Aamir on the other hand smirked throughout the screening. Almost as if he was enjoying Jyoti's discomfort. He did not look as if he was embarrassed at all; and Mike was horrified by his proud features.

He turned his attention to the jurors; many of them could not watch the despicable acts on the TV screen. For many of them just hearing the screams emanating from the sound system was enough to make them go pale. One poor female juror had her eyes closed one hand over her ear and one hand over her mouth. The poor woman looked as if she was going to be sick.

He then looked down at Jyoti as she shivered; she was sitting next to Vijay, her lawyer. She had tried to watch the video, but memories came back thick and fast and she began to hyperventilate, and shudder.

Mike watched as Vijay pressed a button on the video, stopping the awful pictures from continuing.

"Jyoti ...?" Vijay shook her and flinched when she screamed.

Mike could not stand it. He stood and jumped from the gallery into the courtroom. Guards rushed to his side attempting to arrest him.  
Vijay spoke quickly.

"Your Honour! It is clear my client is very distressed with the viewing of this footage. Please extend her the courtesy of letting her be with the man she loves."

"This is the man she wishes to be with?" The judge asked his voice firm but gentle.

Jyoti nodded slowly, her skin pale and her breathing shallow.

"Yes Your Honour." Vijay breathed out the unconscious breath he had been holding.

The guards holding Mike let him go, and he was allowed to approach Jyoti. She wobbled as she stood, her breathing erratic, and she tumbled into Mike's strong arms.

"Your Honour, it is clear that my client needs medical attention, please allow her to be escorted from the courtroom." Vijay's heart broke at the sight of her limp form. His sister had asked this from him, and he was going to make sure he fulfilled his promise. He would ensure that Tariq and Aamir were sent to prison.

Mike glanced up to the gallery where Dr Caroline Lester and Dr Suresh Patel had been sitting. They too had been horrified at the images that were presented and they left the gallery quickly.

Gently Mike lifted her unconscious body, and carried her from the courtroom, where he was ushered into a quiet side room. Carefully he laid her down on the couch. She had gone deathly pale and Mike wondered if she was going to be OK. Behind him, the door opened and Dr Lester and Dr Patel Senior entered the room.

"She fainted." Mike spoke quietly.

He had not been happy at Jyoti's decision to have this disgusting DVD played but he understood her reasons for doing so.

He had seen the video; he had made himself watch it, just so that he could see what despicable acts had been performed. Mike's own stomach had turned, he had wanted to be sick, and the realisation that this, was what had been done to his love, was like a stake being pushed slowly through his heart.

Soon they were joined by other members of the team, Abby who could not watch it because it brought back horrid memories of her own, Emily and Jess had found the revolting acts so awful they could not sit through it either. They were joined by a slightly green Connor who had come in with Diane.

"Court has been adjourned for twenty minutes; I think one of the jurors isn't feeling well." Connor informed them.

"Mmm," Jyoti moaned, her head swayed from side to side.  
Suddenly she snapped her eyes open she sat up and heaved, clamping her hand over her mouth she ran to the toilets adjoined to this particular room. Caroline and Diane went with her.

-o-o-o-

* * *

The door opened and a short, rotund man with a silver moustache and hair came in. He was in his sixties and walked slowly with a limp. The woman dressed in a black burkha assisted him.

"Mohammed?" He questioned; why was Tariq's father here, and Samira too?

Mohammed turned to face Suresh, "I wanted to say how sorry I am, I know it doesn't mean much, but I wanted you to know I'm on your side. Tariq is not the boy I once knew him to be. Since Samira's marriage, he has become wayward, disobedient, disloyal, and untrustworthy, I could carry on, but it won't make difference to Jyoti. I only came because Samira..." He looked into his daughter's tearful eyes as Jyoti was led weeping from the toilets.

"Samira wanted to talk to Jyoti, to ask her if they could still be friends, you see Aamir has been a very controlling man, not letting her see anyone. She has been a prisoner in her own home! He doesn't even allow her to see her family!" Mohammed sat down on a chair, his rubbing his aching legs.

"You see, we found out about Jyoti's pregnancy. Samira has said that she would be prepared to bring up the child if it belongs to Tariq or Aamir." He looked over to Jyoti and the small bump that she tried to hide.

"I guess you really wouldn't want to raise a child that was a result of your horrible ordeal. I want to help if I can Jyoti, I owe you that much." Samira spoke softly, with a gentle stroke to Jyoti's cheek.  
Jyoti burst into tears, and hugged her old friend. Her friend was offering her a way out, a way of never seeing this child again.

"No... No this child is mine, I can tell, I feel it every time I put my hand on her stomach I can tell!" Mike roared angrily, making both women flinch.

"Simple, we do a paternity test, it's not too hard to do, and I can do it for you." Caroline interjected. "So long as that's what you want."

Jyoti nodded, she only wanted to keep this baby if it belonged to Mike.

Mike however, was livid.  
"No, I don't want you to have this test." He turned to Jyoti's father. "Please say something, she's going to give the baby up."

"Mike, my intention is not to cause grief or to split up families, but if this baby does indeed belong to Tariq or Aamir; then it needs to be brought up according to our faith, the child should follow Islam." Mohammed smiled briefly.

"I'm sure Jyoti doesn't want a constant reminder of what happened. If the baby is yours, then we would not force her to give up the baby, we have no reason to adopt your child." Mohammed spoke to him, his voice soft and gentle, and Mike was reminded of the kind man who was once his mentor, the man who had taken him into his home whilst he was unwell, the man whom he had always respected from the bottom of his heart.

The door opened behind them and Vijay was summoned to speak with the defendants' lawyer. Quietly he left the room.

Mike screwed up his eyes; frantically he pushed both hands through his hair.

"This paternity test... You can't do it whilst she's pregnant... You have to wait until the baby is born right?" He directed his question to Caroline.

The three doctors in the room shook their heads,  
"A paternity test can be done, after twelve weeks, I'm not there yet, but it can be done." Jyoti answered his query.

Mike huffed, and turned away, his heart breaking at the thought of the test being performed so early.

Jyoti walked up to him slowly. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she turned him around.  
"There is a procedure, it's called CVS. Chronic Villus Sampling. It's a bit like the Amniocentesis Test."

"Hang on... Isn't that invasive? A procedure like that must have side effects? Right?" Connor piped up. He wasn't a gynaecologist, but since Abby's pregnancy, he had read up on everything he could find, and he was knowledgeable on most areas of pregnancy.

"Yes it is, and one of the side effects is potential miscarriage." Jyoti's eyes filled.

She had not wanted this baby to begin with, her ordeal weighed heavily on her mind and she had wanted to get rid of the baby, but since Emily had found out about Jyoti's pregnancy, she had been talking a lot about children, and because of her colleagues impending parenthood, she could not help but feel different about the infant she carried. Now with Samira's request that she be appointed legal guardian, she felt happier with the idea of carrying the child to term.

Jyoti hoped that it did indeed belong to Mike, nothing would make her happier. The thought that this child was conceived on a night full of anguish, horror and pain made her stomach turn in disgust.

She wanted to find out as soon as possible who the father of this child was, and if it was not Mike, she would be happy with the knowledge that Samira could, and would take over parental responsibilities.

"Mike..." she whispered, and blinked back the tears.

"Please try to understand, I want to keep this baby too... But only, and ONLY... If it is yours."

"You could have this test... The results could come back saying that I'm the father, and you could still lose the baby?" Mike questioned.

Jyoti nodded, and now the tears began rolling down her cheeks once more.

Mike pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, she needed him, she needed him to be strong, and he didn't know if he could be strong enough for her.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Vijay entered the room once more; he looked concerned, as if there was something on his mind.

"I've just been speaking to Aamir's lawyer. Not only have they found out about your pregnancy, but they are saying that Mike made them do it." Vijay looked straight into Mike's eyes, challenging him to tell him otherwise.

"No, that's rubbish."

"No way!"

"Mike couldn't do such a thing!"

The room around them erupted with everyone speaking at once. Mike shook his head.

"No."

"They're saying that back in November, you orchestrated the whole thing." Vijay's gaze did not waver.

"Hang on, did you say November?" Mike spoke quickly angling his head.

"Yes... Where were you in November, you weren't about, I remember because Jyoti was worried sick about you."

"We were in ..." Connor stumbled over his words, he couldn't say they had been stuck in the Cretaceous. "We were in Cret-acea, remember Mike?"

Connor hoped that Mike would understand what he was trying to say.

"Croatia, you mean?" Vijay interjected.

"Yeah, that's what I meant!" Connor jumped up and down bouncing on his knees.

"Can you provide your passport?"

"It was government business, we didn't arrive the normal way, and they didn't stamp our passports!" Mike lied, how on earth was he going to prove his innocence with this one?

"I can vouch for Mike, is that good enough?" Connor began to ramble.

"So long as you can vouch for his whereabouts twenty-four / seven?"

"Yes, yes I can. We were working together... Very closely... for the whole month, and I can definitely say he was with me for most of the time!"

"Most of the time?" Vijay queried his eyebrows raised.

"Well almost... You didn't expect me to watch him taking a crap do you?" Connor was extremely frank, much to everyone's embarrassment.

"Oh thank you Connor, you've given me a wonderful mental image there!" Vijay groaned. "That will do for the moment, but if Jyoti has a paternity test; and the courts can order her to do it! If the baby is yours, then you might have to take the stand to prove that it wasn't rape."

"I'll stand up and tell them what happened." Jyoti interjected.

"No!" Both Vijay and Mike spoke in unison as the people around them began talking all at once.

Mike pulled Jyoti towards him, holding her gently. "No... You've been through enough... If I need to take the stand, I will. They can't prove anything, Jo. They realise they are digging themselves a hole that keeps getting deeper, and they want to pull me down with them. It's not going to happen."

"Of course not! Like Mike said, they can't prove anything, and I'm sure that James will be able to wrangle something to get Mike off the hook." Caroline tapped Jyoti's shoulder.

"Besides, have you eaten anything this morning?"

Jyoti shook her head. "I felt really sick this morning... I couldn't even drink any tea."

"I know you don't feel like eating but you need to keep your own energy levels up. How about some tea now?

Caroline, Emily and Jess made sure everyone had a hot drink, and Caroline gave her an energy bar from a vending machine in the hallway.

Samira and her father left. To be seen talking to the opposite party would not bode well for Samira or her father, and Aamir would be livid with Sam if he knew that she had come to the court to watch the case.

Jyoti sat next to Mike nibbling on her energy bar.

"If the court pushes for you to have the paternity test... What do you want me to say? Will you have the test before or after the baby is born?" Vijay stood to her side.

Jyoti glanced at Mike. She knew that he had no reservations about the growing foetus inside her, and knowing how he felt made her decision easier.

"After it is born. I don't want to risk miscarriage." She smiled when Mike gazed back at her, a small smile playing on his lips.

Mike felt better at this news, it now meant that she was no longer thinking of abortion, and he felt a small measure of comfort knowing that the child would not be given up for adoption, but would be going to a good Muslim family. He did not trust Tariq or Aamir, but he trusted Mohammed, and that meant that so long as Tariq or Aamir did not have a say in the child's upbringing; that the child would be looked after.

This child would not end up in an orphanage, and that's what mattered most to him.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Twenty minutes later the court was back in session and Mike now sat next to Jyoti alongside Vijay. He sat holding her hand, giving her the strength that she needed. The defence had called for a witness to be brought to the stand.

Vijay glanced at Mike when Tariq was asked to take the stand.

Vijay snorted; what could Tariq possibly say that could prove his innocence?

The video had shown exactly what had transpired and there was no way they could say the video was a fake.

"Mr Tariq Khan... You have something to say to the court..." Tariq's lawyer prompted, Tariq nodded, his head hung on his shoulders.

"I just wanted to say that the video shows exactly what happened that night. It's not a fake, I raped Jyoti Patel, and there is no excuse for my actions. What I did was wrong, unforgiveable; I deserve to be sent to prison, the only mistake I made was listening to Aamir, he made me believe that everything he told me was the truth. In fact everything he's told me has been a lie, right from the beginning." He looked up and looked Mike in the eye.

"He told me that my sister's lover was cheating on her, and I believed him. He told me that Jyoti had come to see me, to tell me that she loved me, and I believed him. Over the years he continued to tell me that I should not let Jyoti go, that she loved me and one day she would see how much I mattered to her and accept me... I believed him. Then he told me how Mike was going to steal her away from me, and I would never get a chance to tell her how much I love her ... I believed him. I now see how wrong I was. Jyoti has never loved me." He now faced her.

"It doesn't mean much, but I'm sorry, I hurt you. I'm guilty, and I deserve to be punished."

He hung his head in silence and a tear rolled down his cheek. If Mike had not known Tariq so well he would have said that it was an act, that he didn't mean what he said, but somehow Mike knew that Tariq spoke the truth. That he had been taken in by Aamir's lies and deceit.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Soon it was Tariq's turn to be cross-examined.

"Mr Tariq Khan ... Can you tell me what you should do when you hear the word 'no'?  
Vijay tried to be cool, calm, and collected, but nonetheless, venom coated his words.

"You should stop. Refrain from carrying on." Tariq replied.

"Did you hear Miss Jyoti Patel when she cried out the word 'No'?"

"I can't remember..." Tariq hung his head, his voice barely a whisper.

"You are trying to tell me that you didn't hear my client, a total of twenty-three times?"

Tariq shook his head.

"Were you drunk Mr Khan?"

"I'd had a few drinks, but I wasn't drunk."

"Do you follow the Muslim religion Mr Khan?"

"Yes, I do."

"But I was under the impression that alcohol was forbidden in the Muslim religion, is that not the case?"

"It is true, alcohol is prohibited."

"But you drink?"

"Yes,"

"Doesn't Islam also require you to respect women?"

"Yes, yes it does." Tariq hung his head.

"Did you respect the wishes of my client when she said no?"

"No ..." Tariq whispered his Adam's apple bobbed as he gulped, and another tear rolled down his cheek.

"So you admit that not only abused my client, and went against her wishes, even though you were fully aware of your actions, and of how wrong they were?

"Yes, I admit that I raped her, I was wrong to do that, I should have listened to her when she said no." Tariq replied, more tears rolled down his face, and he his head hung in shame.

Tariq was lead away and Aamir took the stand. His own lawyer was the one who questioned him first.

"How do you plead?"

"I'm innocent, Tariq and Mike met up in November and organised the whole thing. Tariq was the one who insisted that I help him, I was only there because on the night, Mike had been arrested and couldn't join him, he made me, he was the one who decided to kidnap her, to rape her, I had no choice in the matter, and he made up his mind and stuck to it."

"No more questions."

Vijay stood, he was livid with the answers Aamir had given the court, Aamir had lied, and he was going to prove it.

"Mr Aamir Khan, can you tell me the meaning of the word 'no'?"

"I'm sorry I don't have a dictionary in front of me, and I can't tell you." He smirked at his own joke.

Mike's hands fisted.

"OK ... Tell me what you would do if someone shouted 'No', as you crossed the street?"

"I'd stop of course, 'no' is usually a warning."

"So... Did you hear Miss Jyoti Patel as she screamed 'No' whilst she was being raped?"

"No... I didn't"

"You didn't hear the victim to my left, scream 'NO' at all when she said the word, and I remind the court, that she said the word 'No' twenty three times during her ordeal!" Vijay's voice rose, as he cross questioned Aamir.

"No... I didn't"

"So you didn't hear my client's refusal, and continued to abuse her, I think nine different positions you tried with her, and all the time she screamed one word! ... NO!" Vijay's voice rose another octave with disgust as he ended.

-o-o-o-

Vijay questioned Aamir relentlessly over the next fifteen minutes, referring to written analysis on the exchange of ideas on the video. During this questioning a person entered the back of the courtroom. Mike looked around and was surprised to see Lester hand an envelope to a guard, who brought it over to give to Vijay. Vijay smiled to himself.

Finally he called Mike to the stand and hoped that he would be able to answer the questions that the defence lawyer would ask.

"Can you confirm to the courtroom your full name , including any aliases..."

"My name is Michael Temple, also known as Mike Malonino."

"Mr Temple... Mr Khan has posed a very interesting question... That you organised the kidnap and subsequent rape of my client Miss Jyoti Patel... Is that true?"

"No, it's not." Mike deliberately kept his voice low, without any emotion just as Vijay had told him.

"Mr Aamir Khan tells the court that, you met with Mr Tariq Khan to organise and orchestrate the kidnap and subsequent rape of my client on the 15th November. Would you care to tell the court where you were on that date Mr Temple?"

"I work for a Government organisation." Mike smiled at Aamir, at his efforts at trying to drag him down. "I was working alongside my brother and we had been sent out of the country."

"Thank you." Vijay shouted preventing Mike from revealing anymore.

"I have a letter here your Honour. A letter addressed to you, from the Prime Minister!" Vijay handed the letter to a court official who took it to the judge.

A hush descended upon the court as the judge opened and read the letter. Mike glanced up into the gallery where Lester now sat alongside his wife. It seemed that he had gone to the highest level to secure his alibi.

The judge nodded and turned to the jury.

"It says here, just as Mr Temple has just told the court, he was on a Top Secret mission and was out of the country. Since it has come from the Prime Minister himself, we have to deduce that Mr Michael Temple is telling us the truth."

"Permission to cross-examine the witness," a voice rang out across the courtroom. It was Aamir's lawyer.

Mike nodded in Vijay's direction; he would be fine answering questions.

"Mr Michael Temple... You have known Miss Jyoti Patel and my own clients for a number of years, is that correct."

"Yes, it's correct."

"Can you tell the courtroom how you met with Mr Tariq Khan and Mr Aamir Khan?"

"Yes, we were at school together."

"Is it also true that when you first met Mr Tariq Khan he was involved in a fight of a racist nature, and you came to his aid?"

Mike wondered where this was leading. Nevertheless he answered the question.

"Yes, it's true."

"Let it be noted that Mr Temple's violent disposition often gets him into trouble."

Mike swore to himself; so this was where he was leading, next he would be bringing up the murder of Sister Mary, and his criminal record.

"Is it true Mr Michael Temple, also known as Michael Malonino, that you have a criminal record?"

Mike pursed his lips and swore to himself once more.

"Yes..."

"Is it true that you spent time in prison for the murder of a nun?"

"Objection M' Lord," Vijay's voice rang out across the courtroom preventing Mike from answering.

"Mr Temple's criminal record has no significance to this case. He has served his time and should be allowed to move on."

"Objection over ruled. Answer the question Mr Temple."

"I do have a criminal record. For a murder I did not commit!"

"Is it true that you once harboured feeling for my client's wife, Mrs Samira Khan?"

"Objection M' Lord, I fail to see where these questions are leading." Vijay shouted.

"I wish to establish that Mr Temple, had motivation, and means to organise the kidnap and rape of Miss Patel, and by being arrested, he managed to create an alibi for himself."

"May I suggest bringing Mr Tariq Khan back to the stand where we can ask if such a meeting took place? M'Lord?" Vijay suggested in frustration.

"Sustained, bring Mr Tariq Khan to the witness stand please."

"Your Honour, May I request that Mr Temple be bought back to the witness stand should the need arise?"

"Request granted. Bring Mr Tariq Khan to the witness stand please."

Mike and Tariq exchanged glances as they walked past each other. Mike gulped. If Tariq told the court that he had been involved, then his previous convictions would be brought up and he would be questioned relentlessly.

"Mr Aamir Khan told the jury that you and Mr Temple organised the kidnap and subsequent rape of Miss Jyoti Patel... Is that true?" The question was posed by Tariq's own lawyer.

"No."

"You did not meet up with Mr Temple to discuss Miss Patel's kidnap?"

"No... It was all a lie, Aamir approached me. He told me that he's seen Mike and Jyoti enter a pub and it was his idea to kidnap her. It was his idea to rape her." Tariq spoke clearly.

The defence lawyer looked frazzled. He was caught up between two people who were lying and it seemed as if he didn't have a chance at finding out the truth. He huffed as he sat down.

The court case dragged on for another hour, with different witness's being called. Among the witnesses called were Auntie Sangita, and Auntie Meena.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Jurors didn't take long to make up their minds over whether Tariq and Aamir were guilty.

Mike was proven to be innocent; Aamir's lies had fallen flat after Tariq's revelation.

Tariq's verdict was guilty. He received a minimum jail sentence of ten years, with a chance of parole after five, but Aamir's term was longer due to him instigating the whole thing, and one that he deserved. It was proven that _He_ was the one, who pushed Tariq into performing disgusting acts, the jurors had seen and heard it on the DVD and had not believed his innocence.

It had also been proven that Aamir had murdered Sister Mary and Mrs Lalita Patel, after Mrs Meena Patel and Mrs Sangita Patel had taken to the stand, they had felt their own guilt at not having spoken up earlier, if they had been brave enough to speak to the police, Jyoti would not have been in the predicament she was in today, and so Aamir's jail term was a total of 20 years, with no chance of parole.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike stood with Jyoti outside the courtroom, he was chatting with Vijay, and alongside Jyoti were Abby, Emily, Matt, and Connor. He was joined by Becker and Jess, who stood beside him.

Becker, now that he had seen the obscene video, had wanted to shoot both men, in his eyes a jail term just wasn't enough. Matt had wanted to feed them to a future predator, but knew he would not get the chance now that they were behind bars. Connor wished that he could make an anomaly open up to the Silurian Desert; he knew how horrid the scorpions were out there, and wished he could push them through where they would be eaten. He looked around and nudged Mike as he saw someone being escorted down the corridor.

He turned and his blood began to boil as he spotted Tariq. He was handcuffed and was led down the corridor by prison guards, no doubt to start his jail term.

Matt and Connor swapped places with Jess forming a human barrier between the  
convicted rapist and the female members of the team.

"I just wanted to say sorry to you Mike; I had hoped we could be friends?" Tariq spoke quietly.

"Why should I?" Mike spat. "You had me beaten up and left for dead... Not once but  
twice! I completed a prison term because of you, for a murder I didn't commit, and you expect me to forgive you?" Mike thundered.

Tariq shrugged and he was led away by the guards flanking him.

"God! The audacity of some people." Connor exclaimed as Tariq was led away.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike frowned, he was not happy with the jail terms given out, and it was time he called in a few favours. He spoke to Vijay, and after ensuring that he was given the one and only copy of the disgraceful DVD, he, Connor and Matt went to dish out some of their own justice.

They drove to the prisons that were going to be the home of the thugs for the next few years. Mike carefully selected a number from his mobile phone and rang it.

"Roger? Is everything in place?" He asked.

'Everything in place' was ensuring that all the prisoners were watching the communal television, including the most recent additions, Tariq and Aamir.

"Yes... Everyone is in place."

Mike turned to Connor who sat in the back of the MADD van.

"Can you do this?" Mike eyed Connor dubiously; if this didn't work he would have to find another way of ensuring that his plan was carried out.

"Can a mole dig holes?" His brother smiled back at him. "Course I can, I'm a certified genius!"

Connor cracked his knuckles, pressed a few buttons, inserted the DVD and pressed play.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Over in the crowded prison, every cellmate was sitting down in front of the telly. They thought they were going to be watching an episode of "Eastenders", but in reality they were going to be watching something completely different.

The TV screens flickered and the images made inmates scream and shout, until someone shouted out.

"Look it's them, our new friends, what were their names again? Isn't it Tariq and Aamir?"

"No! You mean Starry and Airmail!" Someone else laughed.

The prison erupted with jeers and catcalls.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike's phone rang a few minutes later.

"Roger?"

"You wanted to ensure that the video was seen, and it was ... Listen to this..."

What Mike heard made his own stomach turn, he could hear the sound of men screaming in pain, and he knew that that the inmates had dealt with rapists in their own way, ensuring that the convicts would remember it for the rest of their miserable lives.

It did little to ease his conscious to hear them scream in agony and he gulped. He tried to quash memories of his own as they resurfaced. He turned to Matt as he felt his hand on his shoulder.

"Are you OK mate?" Matt's accent lilted heavily.

"I don't know... I thought by arranging this, it would make me feel better; knowing that they'll get a taste of their own medicine. Why don't I feel that this is right?"

"Cause you're human... You're better than they are! You feeling this way, it shows how different you are from them. It shows that you care." Matt spoke as Connor jumped out of the van and ambled over to his brothers.

"Mike Malonino would not have cared... But you're not him... Mike Temple is a different man, he cares about those around him and he works for the ARC - saving lives." Connor added.

Mike smiled briefly and the three brothers climbed back into the MADD van to drive home.

* * *

Well I believe Saden Becker wanted something horrible for Aamir and Tariq, and I think a few of you wanted me to kill them off. I hope that their punishment satisfies you. A taste of their own medicine!

**Still to Come...**

**Emily goes into labour!**


	13. Chapter 13

**____****Mike Malonino**

**_Chapter 13_**

_**First of all thank you to YouHaveLovelyHair for all her help with this story. **_

_**You are AWESOME.**_

_**A big Thank you also goes to Rubytronix, Prawn Crackers, Mijo54, Aunteeneenah, MouseyJane and Saden Becker for sticking with this unusual story.** _

_Sorry for the short chapter, it ran away from me and I needed somewhere to split it properly._

* * *

After the court case Mike took Jyoti out for dinner, he had wanted to do something different and today a meal was the best he could do. He wanted to cheer her up. Now that the dreadful trial was out of the way maybe they could get on with their lives.

He knew that she was not overly happy with the result from the court case and Mike tried his best to make her see that at least they were in prison where they belonged. He did not dare tell her what had transpired behind closed doors, she did not need to know, and it would not achieve anything.

After dinner, he drove her home and agreed to stay with her, for the rest of the night. Mike and Jo spoke at length regarding the wedding preparations. Jyoti's father had left instructions for Mike and Jyoti to arrange other things.

He got out of bed and started calling people. The first person he called was Diane, the next person he spoke to was Connor, he needed his help on several matters, one of them, was to ask if he would be his best man. Then he called Vijay, he knew that Jyoti still wanted the Indian Wedding ceremony and he wanted to get it out of the way quickly before she started to show too much.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Jyoti received a strange text saying Meena Auntie was coming around and could she arrange for Diane, Abby, Emily, Jess and Bertie to come too.

Mike was surprised when he received a similar text, he frowned at the cryptic message, meet me at my place... Bring your brothers and your mates. By mates he assumed Becker and Danny too. But why did he want to meet them?

He noted down the address and notified the others and they all met outside the young man's house at 7.00 pm sharp.

As Mike knocked on the door, everyone wondered why Vijay was being so secretive. Surely he could have spoken to them outside the court building.

"Come in, come in," Vijay urged with a flourish.

Gathering the men in the room, they began to understand why it was just the men invited and none of the female members of the team.

It was a fitting session; they were all being measured up for the outfits they would wear to the wedding.

Becker eyed the young man who measured him suspiciously; did he have a death wish? The man kept touching him, in the weirdest places too, he shrieked when the man started to measure his inside leg, and he was convinced that the man was definitely gay. Vijay had arranged for all the men to wear a traditional Indian Suits. Sherwani Kurtas.

He wouldn't have minded if it was in black, but this one was red with cream bottoms, and the sash that went with it confused him. Was he supposed to wear it around his head? Or did it go around his waist? Or ... He didn't have the faintest clue and he threw his hands in the air and gave up. He even struggled with getting the trousers to stay up, until the tailor the Vijay had brought with him, suggested elasticised waists for all of them. At least this would ensure that they could go to the loos by themselves and would not need an escort to help them.

Why Mike had to have two wedding ceremonies was beyond him! Nevertheless he was bullied into submission by Danny and Matt who insisted that _everyone_ was going to be wearing consistent outfits, and if that meant dressing in traditional gear then he was going to_ have_ to comply.

The week before the wedding Mike was not allowed to see Jyoti at all, and the only way he could keep in touch was over the phone, he was not even allowed to see her over the videophone, and he was missing her like crazy.

-o-o-o-o-o-

* * *

On the day of the wedding Vijay came over dressed in his own traditional outfit, he was dressed in lightweight long sleeved, blue tunic that came to just below his knees, the one thing that was the same with all of the men's outfits was that they all had the cream coloured trousers. Now that the trousers were elasticised; putting on them on was a breeze. They slipped on the kurta with no problem and Vijay went round ensuring that they were comfortable wearing the sashes that came with the outfits.

Connor smiled as he looked at Mike. They had agreed to dress exactly the same for once in their lives and today seemed the perfect opportunity. The tunics they wore were the same shade and colour of deep burgundy, and they had opted to shave and have a haircut. It was like looking at mirror images and when the two stood side by side it was hard to tell which was which.

Mike huffed as he travelled by car to the local mandir. The temple in which he was about to get married, in fact both brother's were sweating, for not only was Mike and Jyoti getting married, Connor and Abby had decided to get married on the same day too.

Arriving at the venue they were escorted inside by Jyoti's family who immediately served everyone with drinks. It was a cold, grey day and the hot drinks were very welcome.

Vijay came over and talking to Mike, Connor, Becker, Danny and Matt he led them across the hall where a group of six ladies all clad in cream coloured burkhas stood with their backs to them.

The women all turned, even their faces were covered by a layer of fabric that was impossible to see through.

"Gentlemen... Choose your partners; choose carefully, for you may end up marrying the girl you choose." Vijay gestured for them to step forward and take a woman by the hand.

Matt stepped forward.

"This is Emily!" He smiled and lifted the veil to her burkha.

"How did you know?" Emily smiled back.

"Simple, none of the others has a baby bump."

Emily looked down at her expanding waistline, and took off her burkha to reveal a star-studded Shalwar kameez, the colour of gold.

Matt's mouth fell open at the sight of her, and one of Jyoti's many cousins led them away to be seated.

Connor stepped forward next, this was going to be easy he thought as he spotted Little Luke hiding behind one of the ladies.

Smiling he pulled a woman forward.

"This has got to be..." he lifted her veil, "A- A- Jess!" His mouth fell open, he was sure that this was Abby, Luke was clutching her outfit.

The little boy looked up, and began to wail.

"Mummy!" He sobbed.

"Thanks mate," he admonished the young boy as he scooped him up into his arms.

"I'll take her... Thanks Conn." Becker grinned as he took Jess to one side, as she took of her burkha to reveal a dazzling purple sari.

Becker gasped at the sight of her in her outfit and he lost all control of his mouth and he began to drool.

Danny grabbed him before he was led away.

"Help me find Bertie..." He glanced at the four women in front of him.

"Simple, Bertie's a soldier." He grinned and winked as he and Jess were led away to be seated next to Matt.

The men left gulped, Danny, Mike and Connor stared at the four women standing in front of them, one of them had to be a decoy.

Danny looked down at their feet one of them was standing almost as if she were standing in a parade waiting to be inspected.

"This is Bertie." He smiled and pulled a woman forward.

Bertie smiled as she took off her burkha to reveal a gleaming sari in royal blue, and they too were led away.

"Time to find your mummy." Connor whispered in Luke's ear. The little boy was unhappy at having lost his dearest mum, and tears streaked his cheeks.

Behind her veil Abby rolled her eyes, '_Come on Conn, I can't be that hard to find_.' She thought to herself, trying not to give anything away.

Connor smiled. He reached for the shortest of the women left. Abby came up to his shoulder, and so out of the three women left there could only be one who could be Abby.

Slowly he lifted up her veil, the little boy standing by his side screeched.

"Mummy!"

"Took you long enough." She smiled as she took off her burkha to reveal a heavily embroidered burgundy sari, it glittered with gold threads, sequins and beads, and Connor's mouth fell open and his throat went dry as he stared at his soon to be wife.

Mike stood facing the two women who were left, one of them was Jyoti, and one was an imposter, trying to catch him out, heck he was never going to live this down if he got this wrong!

"Can I have a clue? Can I look at their eyes?" He questioned Vijay.

"Sorry mate, I can't let you do that." Mike groaned, and beads of sweat began to appear on his brow.

"OK, How about hands? Can I see their hands?"

"Yes, I think we can let you do that."

The two women in front of him held out their hands. One woman had mendhi on hers, an intricate pattern that disappeared at the sleeve of her burkha.

The other, had no such pattern but Mike could not help but notice the thin lines that adorned her wrists, he frowned, had this woman tried to slit her wrists at some point? He was about to reach for her hands when he noticed something on the other woman's hands.

He looked closer and saw a design and a few letters on each palm.

He frowned... P-L-E? He glanced at her other hand and found more letters T-E-M.

His grin spread across his face as he reached for the woman to his left, the woman with the patterned hands, but he could not help but wonder who the imposter was.

Slowly the woman pulled down her burkha veil to reveal her eyes, just her eyes, and he gazed into bluish grey irises, before they filled with tears and she fled.

'Samira?' Mike's mind screamed. Had she tried to kill herself? Had he made the wrong choice?

He turned to remove his bride's veil... and smiled...

No. He had definitely made the right choice. He didn't love Samira anymore, Jyoti was the woman he loved, the woman he wanted at his side. This was the woman he wanted to be his wife.

The happy couple were led away to stand in front of everyone who had gathered. He stood next to Connor whilst Jyoti was led away to be escorted up the aisle by her father.

"You first," Connor indicated that his vows were to be said first. "You're older by ten minutes."

"Have you got the ring?" Mike questioned nervously.

Connor's fingers curled around a small box in his pocket, and he smiled and nodded.

"Have you got mine?" He questioned.

It was then that the registrar appeared in front of them, they had not noticed him before but now, could not help but stare at the man in front of them.

He too, was wearing a traditional Indian outfit. His smart jacket was white and it glittered with a golden thread woven into the fabric, whilst it was not as heavy and intricate as Mike and Connor's it gave the man an air of importance that suited his stature.

"Lester!" Mike and Connor whispered in unison.

"If you circulate any pictures on the net of me dressed like this, I will see to it that you are on menagerie duty for a month!" Lester sneered; unhappy that his wife had forced him to wear such an outfit, why he couldn't wear his designer Italian Suit was beyond him.

Lester nodded to Connor and Mike to turn around, and when they did they were met with the most fabulous view.

Abby walked ahead of Jyoti, resplendent in her shimmering sari that matched Jyoti's.

Jyoti walked arm in arm with her father, as he escorted her down the aisle, and Mike's mouth fell open at the sight of her. This was the first time he had seen her without the burkha and even _he_ had to gulp to stop himself from drooling. She looked stunning in her deep red and gold sari, it glittered and gleamed in the lighting and Mike had to blink to make sure that it was her and he wondered if he was dreaming.

He now noticed that the intricate design on her hands went up her arm and almost past her elbow, he marvelled at it and he was sure that he saw what looked like a peacock drawn on her arms.

As she approached him he noticed her jewellery, the heavy necklace which adorned her slim neck and the extended earrings which seemed to start in her hair, down to her delicate ears and then dangle down just above her shoulders.

"You look stunning..." he whispered.

"Ahem..." Lester cleared his throat and rolled his eyes.

Lester began with his speech of 'We are gathered here today.' Mike heard it vaguely in the back of his mind, all he could focus on was Jo, and how enthralling she looked. He gulped when Connor nudged him.

Then it became clear that Lester was waiting for an answer to a question...

"I do ...?" Mike offered, hoping that this was the answer everyone was waiting for.

"And do you Dr Jyoti Patel; take Mr Michael Temple to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I do," Jyoti smiled.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife!"

Lester leaned towards Mike and whispered. "Please remember, the Hindu religion frowns on kissing in public."

_DAMN! Double damn!_ He would just have to wait.

"Now can we get the next lot over with," Lester grumbled, as the applause behind them died down.

Jyoti and Abby swapped places as did Mike and Connor, and now Connor and Abby stood side by side in front of Lester.

It was easier this way; Jack had refused to be anywhere near Connor and Becker saying that it was far too dangerous for him to be around. This had meant that Abby had no-one to walk her up the aisle, and so a simple cross-over had provided the best solution.

Lester looked up and called out. "And now ... for the next part of this ceremony, the marriage vows for Connor Temple and Abigail Maitland."

There was a jostling behind Connor and he was shoved out of the way, and a little blonde haired boy pushed to the front, he held onto Abby's hand, and he grinned up at Connor, his mouth covered in chocolate.

There was laughter from the audience, Mike cleared his throat, trust his nephew to put in an appearance at the right moment.

Connor straightened himself, regained his composure and standing next to Abby, little Luke between them he urged Lester to continue.

"Do you Connor Temple; take this woman Abigail Maitland to be your lawful wedded wife?

Connor looked down at the woman standing looking so beautiful next to him and he felt a mixture of love and pride swell up inside him.

"I do." His voice was steady, but his heart pounded inside his chest.

"Do you Abigail Maitland; take this man Connor Temple to be your awful wedded husband?"

Connor saw Abby smile up at him. Neither of them had spotted Lester's mistake.

"I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife."

"YES!" Connor's face scrunched up briefly, and then he straightened as if nothing had happened, although his insides were still squirming with joy. He had waited so long for this day and now it had finally come.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike was given a brief break; he had no time to spend with his new wife before she was whisked away, for the next part of the wedding ceremony.

The next part was by far the most lengthy, it involved sitting in front of the fire, taking various vows again, for this part, Mike had asked for Vijay to spend a lot of time by his side explaining what was going on.

The priest was very good, Mike was not expecting him to be able to speak English but when the man did start explaining in a language he understood, he became calm and simply enjoyed the day. He asked why certain things were done, and the priest explained that the fire itself was an invitation to the fire god, he understood why this was necessary, and having the gods at their wedding seemed to make sense and he felt as if he was truly blessed.

A little while later, Vijay leaned down to whisper something in Mike's ear.

"You've heard of the term 'Tying the knot'?"

"Yes..." Mike whispered in reply.

"Well the priest is going to do just that, literally, he'll take one end of your sash and he will tie it together with an end of Jyoti's chundari, – her own sash."

"Wow! I had no idea!" Mike grinned.

"So we'll be tied together?" Mike winked and wiggled his eyebrows mischievously.

"OI, behave ... not _that_ sort of tying together!" He scowled.

-o-o-o-

* * *

After the ceremony everyone was led to the dining room, where a lavish dinner was prepared for all the guests. Jyoti had insisted that not nuts were used in the food that was prepared and that Connor would not need to used the epi-pen that he had brought with him.

The team marvelled at the food that was put out in front of them. Plates appeared suddenly crammed full of the most wonderful smelling food. Matt's mouth watered at the sight, Emily wondered if she would be able to eat such spicy food and also if the baby would object to the unusual food which was about to enter her stomach.

Becker was convinced he could handle the most spicy of foods and he bit into a large chilli pepper. He mouth almost exploded as soon as he bit into it, his tongue felt as if it was on fire, and he had to gulp several glasses of water to calm his mouth.

Mike laughed at the sight of the head of security going red in the face at such a humorous action. He knew how hot those chillies could be, and he was not going to do as Becker asked and bite into one himself.

-o-o-o-

* * *

At the end of the ceremony, there was a very tearful goodbye from Jyoti to her extended family.

"Look after her," Vijay whispered to Mike as he shook his hand and hugged his cousin.

"See you soon? Yeah?" Vijay nodded through his own tears.

But the man, who Jyoti could not bear to be separated from, was her father. Who would look after him now? Who would ensure that he took his medication on time? Who would cook for him?

She hoped that Mike would not object to her going to see him regularly.

Slowly and reluctantly Jyoti and Mike were escorted to the door, leading her outside where Becker, their designated driver stood waiting. But a woman in a cream coloured burkha stood waiting by the door.

Mike stood at a distance as the two women hugged. He turned away from Samira, ever since he found out that she was married, he felt as if he shouldn't be looking, as if he was breaking a cultural rule by being in her presence. She was married, to someone else, and it almost felt wrong to be even talking to her, and now _he_ was married too, to Jyoti, and now he felt that Jyoti was the only woman for him, and that he shouldn't even talk to Sam because of her.

"I'll help look after your father," Samira hugged her friend. "Call me?"

Jyoti nodded weakly.

-o-o-o-

* * *

_**I would love to hear your thoughts... **_


	14. Chapter 14

**____****Mike Malonino**

**_Chapter 14_**

**_Thank you to all of you who took the time to review, and if I haven't said so... Thank you._**

**_Enjoy more Mike!_**

* * *

Lester had been generous towards Connor and Abby, granting them permission to have a two week holiday in Jamaica. But he could not spare more members of staff with time off. Mike and Jyoti would have to wait for a proper honeymoon.

Nevertheless Mike spoke to Lester; he told him that after the last few months, Jyoti really needed the time away from work to relax. Not only was she pregnant, but the trial and her awful ordeal had taken a lot from her and she really needed the time to recuperate.

It seemed that Lester was being very generous and he was agreeing to both Mike and Jyoti having time off for an extended weekend. Not only was he allowing this time to them, he had also given Mike the keys to his luxury apartment in Hythe.

It was a small village on the outskirts of Southampton, and the only word he could possibly use to describe it was quaint.

Mike collected Jo and they drove down late on Friday night and found a chippy that was still open. Strolling down the wooden pier was an experience in itself. People had inscribed the planks with their names, and Jyoti couldn't help but call out to Mike to show him ones of interest.

She pointed out to one in particular.  
"Oh Mike! Look, how sweet is that? This couple got married only last year!"

Mike watched as her face lit up for the first time in weeks, and he felt a tiny glimmer of hope as for the first time in weeks her smile returned.

All he wanted now was to hear her laugh.

-o-o-o-

* * *

They sat on the bench at the end of the pier watching the boats sail in and out of the harbour, until late into the night.

The every so often a small ferry would sail up and people would get off and some would climb aboard and sail off.

After a few well questions to those coming off Mike deduced that it was a ferry service that would take them into the Southampton.

"Do you fancy going?" Mike asked becoming hopeful.

"Not tonight, I don't feel so good, those chips were rather nice, but I don't think they agree with the baby. Besides, I'm feeling cold." She shivered.

Mike took off his jacket and wrapped it around her; she smiled and leaned into his warm and loving embrace.

The moon shone into the water giving the walk back down the pier romantic lighting. Mike paused as the light reflected over them. Gently he ran his fingers across her face, moving a stray lock of hair that was being blown by the wind, tenderly he tucked it behind her ear and he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

In this light she truly looked beautiful and he leaned in for another kiss. He felt Jyoti relax more into his arms, she buried her face into his chest, just enjoying the moment.

"I love you..." he whispered.

He waited for Jyoti to say something, and was saddened when she didn't.

He turned to continue down the pier when Jyoti clasped his hand. She was rooted to the spot, the moon shone behind her giving her the look of an angel. She was about to say something and Mike waited.

She stepped closer, stood on tiptoe and pressed a kiss of her own onto his lips. Her tongue pushed through into his mouth and she kissed him passionately.

"Mike Malonino... I love you so much that I can't bear to be without you."

Mike frowned. Then she realised her mistake.

"Michael Temple... I love you." She smiled.

Mike grinned, for some reason the use of his full name hadn't irked him, it sounded nice, especially when Jyoti said it.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Arriving at Lester's luxury abode, they managed to find parking, outside on the driveway. Jyoti opened the flat, while Mike brought up the few bags of luggage that they had brought.

"Wow," Jyoti smiled as she stepped inside. Then the smell of the flowery air freshener assailed Jo's nostrils, and she heaved. Clamping her hand over her mouth she ran to find the bathroom.

"Jo! Jyoti? Where are you?" Mike shouted as he walked in.

"In here..." she groaned, as she leaned over the toilet bowl to be sick once more.

A minute later Mike was at her side, rubbing her back, holding her hair and whispering into her ear. She couldn't make out what he was saying, but it sounded sweet, and she sank into his embrace.

"Are you OK?"

Jyoti nodded weakly.

She took his hand as he helped her up, leaning on him when her legs felt as if they were going to give way beneath her.

She rinsed her mouth and drank some water, soothing her upset stomach and giving her a little energy to walk up to bed.

"There's a pile of post here, and there is even one for us." Mike pointed out, as Jyoti collapsed on the comfortable bed.

He tore open the envelope and pulled out the card that was inside.

"It's from Mr and Mrs Lester... There's food in the fridge, and wine in the cellar, help yourselves to it, but leave the whiskey alone." Mike read the message inside.

"That's nice of them..." Jyoti yawned. She didn't even have the energy to look around the flat. Exhaustion set in, her head and eyes began to droop and as her head hit the pillow, she was fast asleep.

"Yeah, they stocked up the fridge for us... They didn't have to do that." He turned to look at Jo when she didn't answer, and shook his head at her, she had fallen asleep in the car on the journey down and now she had fallen asleep again.

Was she really that tired?

Slowly he pulled off her boots, and put them to one side, and slowly he began to take off her clothes, trying not to wake her as he did so. Carefully he tucked her into the large sumptuous bed.

He smiled as he watched her sleep, she looked so beautiful, even in slumber, and he wondered how long it would last before she woke up screaming because of her nightmares.

He went back downstairs to check that everything was locked up, he looked through the windows trying to catch a glimpse of anything outside, but was met with a sheet of blackness which surrounded them, lights had been turned off and he could not see anything beyond the panes of glass.

Closing the curtains, he went back upstairs to join Jyoti in bed. Initially he had planned the evening going slightly differently, with the two of them enjoying some nocturnal activity, but it was not to be, and he sighed as he slid into bed beside his wife.

He lay next to her prone form, watching her sleep, and it seemed the most natural thing to do.

"I love you so much..." _'... That it hurts to see you like this...' _he thought about her nightmares as he leaned down to kiss her forehead; and an involuntary tear rolled down his cheek.

Sighing he slid further into the bed, wrapping his arms around her when she snuggled up to him, holding her tight, as if protecting her from the demons which chased her at night.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Jyoti fluttered her eyelashes as she felt the warmth of the sun streaming in from the window. It was morning, and slowly she extricated herself from Mike's arms. She stretched and yawned, her nightmares and dreams had kept away and, for the first time in months she had slept through the night, waking fresh and ready to face the day.

She sat for a moment just watching her husband sleep, and she recalled how much she loved to look over him in this comatose state. He had the look of an angel about him, a very strong and able guardian angel, but a guardian angel nevertheless.

Looking around her now she began to notice the surroundings.

She marvelled at the whitewashed walls, clean and clear of any dust or dirt, and she realised that the Lester's must have a cleaner who lived nearby to be able to keep this place so clean.

Quietly she donned her nightgown, having noticed that she had slept in nothing but her knickers; and she crept downstairs, not wanting to disturb the handsome man who slept in her bed. She remembered the note that had been left for them and she walked over to the fridge to sneak a peek inside.

A few necessary items for the weekend ahead, the fridge had been stocked with milk, bread, eggs and butter.

She turned and opened a few cupboards and found the tea and coffee. She was starving after having thrown up her dinner last night, her stomach was empty and now it began to rumble. She wondered if she should wake Mike so they could start breakfast, but decided to open the curtains instead.

When she opened them, her mouth fell open with surprise. She had expected to find the back garden, but instead of a garden, the French windows, led out to a balcony that was surrounded by water. Opening the doors she stepped outside, and looked around her. She noticed the empty mooring and wondered if there was a boat hidden out of sight.

Looking further she noticed all the other houses on the side all had the same design, some had boats, some didn't, and some were simply empty waiting to be sold to the highest bidder.

In the distance she heard a clock tower chime the hour and she counted the chimes to seven.

She noticed several people were out and about already, and although the March air was still cold, they went about their business as usual, they didn't notice the woman who stood on her balcony wearing nothing but a nightgown. She smiled and pulled her wrap around her, and was very aware of being almost naked underneath it, and she leaned down on the rail, watching life pass by.

She breathed in deeply, taking in the smells around her, the clean smell of the water, the lavender from a nearby bush, rosemary from somewhere else, and the cool clean air seemed to cleanse her lungs, she breathed out, the stale breath dissipating in the wind. She continued to take deep breaths and the air seemed to cleanse her entire being, clearing the filth that had accumulated in the past few months, giving her a good sense of wellbeing, clean and healthy.

For a moment she forgot about the horrors that plagued her since the start of the year. She almost didn't hear her name being called and it took her a while to respond to Mike's voice.

"I'm out here ... Mike you must look at this!" She called to him.

He came out to her wearing loose jogging bottoms.

"I got worried, I woke up and you weren't there." He stepped out into the balcony.

"Look at this! Isn't it beautiful?"

He looked around him for the first time and took in the sight.

"Wow! What a view!"

"Can we have breakfast out here?" Her stomach began to grumble.

He knelt down in level with her stomach. "Is baby hungry?"

He leaned forward and kissed her almost flat stomach.

He smiled as her stomach growled again.

"Did you sleep well?" He grinned as he stood up.

"I did! I slept really well, maybe it was because I was so relaxed, maybe because I know I can put this horrible experience behind me, or maybe it was because you were there."

"So you didn't have any nightmares?" He caressed her face.

"No..." she leaned into his touch, wanting him to touch more than just her face.

"Shall we have breakfast first then?" Mike queried.

"I want to go and brush my teeth, have a shower and then breakfast." Jyoti pulled her nightgown around her, she began to feel the morning air, and it sent a chill through her body. Recently she had not felt the cool air, the additional heat from the baby gave her internal warmth and so she could not feel the cold as much as Mike.

"OK... Mind if I join you?" He wasn't sure how she would react to this; it wasn't ever something they had covered in the past. He just wanted to be with her.

Jo was shocked by his brazen thoughts, and wondered if he was OK then she smiled, they were on Honeymoon, of course his mind would wander down that particular avenue.  
She smiled back at him, and winked, an open invitation for him to join her.

-o-o-o-

* * *

They finished slowly in the shower and Jo excused herself and wrapped herself in her robe.

Mike couldn't help but notice that she dashed a tear from her face.

Had he been too rough with her during their lovemaking?  
Had she tried telling him to stop, and he had ignored her?

The thought felt like a dagger to his heart. He couldn't bear it if he had hurt her. He quickly finished in the shower to go and find her.

Mike found Jo in the kitchen, she had put the kettle on, and she was waiting by the toaster, she had set out two mugs in front of her. She smiled as he approached.

"Are you Ok?" He asked nervously.

"Yeah... Why do you ask?"

"I could've sworn you were crying as you left the bathroom," gingerly he stepped closer.

"I wasn't too rough with you was I?"

"Mike..."

"I thought I'd hurt you, done something I shouldn't have..." he was beginning to ramble, something Jo had noticed in his brother, and maybe the two weren't so different after all.

She closed the distance between them and planted a kiss to his lips to stop him from saying anymore.

"Mike... I love you, and the reason I wiped my eyes as I left the bathroom was that my hair was wet, water dripped onto my face."

Mike huffed, relieved that he hadn't hurt her after all.

"This morning was really good; maybe we could do it again sometime."

Mike couldn't help the thoughts that crossed his mind, "How about now?" He reached for her.

"I love you Mike, I really do, but I'm starving, maybe later?" She snorted.

Mike blinked, and watched her as she took the breakfast trays outside to the balcony. He was mesmerised by her and he shook his head to clear it of naughty thoughts.

"Your breakfast is out here, are you coming?" Jo called from the French doors.

Quietly he walked slowly to join her.

She smiled as he sat down opposite her; she buttered his toast and set it out for him. He held her hand before she could withdraw it and gazed once more at the intricate pattern that adorned it.

He held her hand, fully aware that she was struggling to butter her own toast; he sniggered as he held on.

She smiled.

"Mike, stop it. I'm hungry!" She tugged her hand away playfully.

But Jo's smile faded all too quickly for Mike to be happy.

Her eyes widened and her mouth fell open, she leaned back in her chair with a look of shock on her face.

"What's wrong Jo?" Mike became worried.

She licked her top lip in concentration, and put a hand to the small bump in front of her, and ever so gently she pressed down as if she were checking herself.

Suddenly she gasped and clutched at Mike's hand. With the other she gestured for him to be quiet.

Gently she pulled him towards her and Mike rushed around to her side.

"Put your hand there." She whispered, and then holding Mike's hand in her own she pressed down so that he could feel what she had just felt.

"Can you feel that?" she whispered gently.

"No..." Mike shook his head, he hadn't felt anything. Then he jumped and shouted in surprise and drew his hand away quickly as if he had been scalded. "I felt that! I felt that!

He slowly began to smile, he couldn't believe it, the baby had moved. He had felt it kicking against his hand. Mike could not hide his joy, he whooped out loud, punched the air, and bounced on his knees.

"Is it still moving? Can I feel again?"

"It's probably not going to move now that you've frightened him, but yes you can feel again if it makes you happy."

"Him ...? Are you trying to tell me something I don't know?" Grinning like a loon, Mike put his hand on Jyoti's stomach once more hoping to feel the baby.

"No, I don't know the sex of the baby; I've not had my ultrasound test yet, so I don't know."

"There's a way of knowing what sex the baby is, and you probably know what to look for don't you?"

"Yes, there is and when the test is done I will probably be able to tell straight away... Tell me, do you want to know what sex the baby is going to be or do you want a surprise?"

Mike pulled his chair around to sit closer to her.

"Um... I don't know ... I'd like a surprise, but then it won't be a surprise for you." Mike gazed into the distance absently. "I don't really mind. I don't see a point in my not knowing if you already know, it makes things harder, you'd have to be careful what you said and all that."

He reached for her hand now that she had finished buttering her toast.

"As soon as you know what sex the baby is, I want you to tell me." He smiled, at least she wasn't talking about abortion anymore and Mike wondered if it had anything to do with Samira wanting to adopt the child.

He gazed down at her hand in his and he thought he saw something in the design on her hands; it was one of the letters he had seen the other day. He frowned, there was no 'O' in Temple?

"Can I look at your mendhi again?"

"Mm hum," she nodded she had her mouth full and couldn't say anything.

Mike looked once more to the lettering on her hand. There it was L-O? What did that mean? Underneath it there was a picture of half a building which when he followed it around finished on the palm of her hand, and then there were more letters on her palm this one looked like P-L-E. Mike scratched his head.

"L, O, P, L, E?" is that supposed to mean something?"

Jyoti grinned at his confusion. "No... You're supposed to look at it like this..."

She raised her hands, cupping them together, as if she were reading a pretend book, and showed Mike the top side of her hands.

"L, O, V, E!" Mike exclaimed grinning. He grinned at the love heart which appeared as she cupped her hands.

"Then, you look like this." Keeping her hands cupped she lowered her arms so that Mike could see the palms of her hands.

"T, E, M, P, L, E! ... Love Temple? Oh that is so cool!" He marvelled at the design of a building above it, it looked vaguely like a temple, with an idol inside, he sniggered and wondered if the idol was supposed to be him.

"My cousin did it for me. She's really good at doing this sort of stuff... There's a saying... 'The deepest colour; is a reflection of how much your partner loves you.'"

"What does the colour of your mendhi say about me then?" He gazed into her eyes and noticed how they lit up.

"My mendhi says..." Jyoti gasped, as Mike captured her lips in a passionate kiss. "That..." he kissed her again. "You..." he thrust his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, devouring her. Jyoti was completely breathless.

"Love me very much..." he pulled her into his arms, kissing her trailing kisses down to her throat.

His breakfast lay untouched as he pulled her up and back into the bedroom to make love to her once more.

-o-o-o-

* * *

That day, Mike and Jyoti decided to go across the river on the little ferry they had seen last night. They walked up the pier hand in hand, smiling at each other.

The boat, painted red and white, was not tiny, it was a fair size, and it was styled on a catamaran. Standing on the deck was rather chilly, and Mike discovered some steps that led to a sheltered cabin. The windows were glazed properly, and from them they had a very good view of the surrounding river, and of their destination.

One of the locals had told them that the boat took them to a place called Town Quay; from there they could catch a bus into the Southampton City Centre.

Jyoti smiled at the other people who had joined them for this journey.

There was a smartly dressed old man, his tie peeped from beneath his coat collar, and he sat reading a copy of The Times newspaper. It seemed as he was a commuter on his way to work. Absently she wondered where his journey would take him.

There was also a teenage couple on board, clearly a girlfriend and boyfriend out for the day into the city.

There was a young woman accompanied by several children one in a buggy and a little boy and a little girl who seemed to be squabbling over a packet of sweets. She reprimanded the older boy for not sharing with his younger sister, and sternly told him he would not be getting his treat of a magazine on the way home if his behaviour continued. Jyoti wondered if she would ever have to resort to such bribery with her own children, for that was what it was - bribery.

Jo smiled as she whispered into Mike's ear.  
"How many children will we have?"

Mike pondered for a moment as the boat rocked and swayed over the waves, grinning he pointed to her hands and counted her digits - all the way up to ten.

Jyoti's eyes went wide, and her mouth fell open, he wanted ten children!

Her facial expression of sheer horror made Mike laugh. He whispered in her ear that he was joking before kissing her on the cheek. Jo swatted him playfully, before a grabbing his hand as the boat lurched.

Soon the boat reached its destination and the people on board made their way off the boat and up the steep incline towards the main harbour. It had been raining and the decking was slippery. Mike and Jo were the last to leave the boat, preferring to watch to see what others were doing before joining them.

Mike could see what was happening before anybody else. The woman with the children was busy pushing the buggy up the ramp. She did not have a chance to hold onto the older children who raced to the top trying to get to there first. He saw the little boy slip on the deck and he heard a splash in the water below.

"He's fallen in, the little boy, fell in." He called to Jo and carefully he went to the edge of the walkway trying to catch sight of the little boy.

The little boy's mother screamed. "ADAM!"

She managed to push her buggy to the top and telling the younger girl to hold onto the buggy she went back down the ramp to look for her son.

Mike saw a shape floating in the water, and pulling off his trainers and jacket, he jumped in.  
Taking purposeful strong strokes he managed to reach the boy and rolling him onto his front, he began to drag him back to the side of the harbour where they could be pulled from the water.

He knelt by the little boy and waited for Jo to snap out of her shocked stupor.

"Jo, JO!" he shouted. "I need you here!"

Shaking her head of thoughts Jyoti ran to the Adam's side. Shaking she pressed her fingers into the little boys throat trying unsuccessfully to find a pulse. Something inside Jyoti snapped into place.

"Call for an ambulance, tell them I'm giving CPR!"

Quickly she checked the boy's airways, making sure there was no other obstruction. Then taking a breath, she tilted his head back and blew into the little boy's chest. Placing her hands onto Adam's chest she began to press hoping that her actions would kick start the child's heart. She pumped carefully, too little pressure and the boy's heart would not restart, too much, and she could break his small ribs, risking puncturing his lungs or even his heart. She carried on pumping whilst Mike checked again for a pulse.

"There's a pulse, you should be able to stop now," Mike informed her.

"No, I've got to keep going, at least until the ambulance gets here, or at least for a few more minutes." Jyoti knew that if she stopped now, the little boy could still die.

Jo could hear the sirens in the distance and willed the paramedics to get there faster, the little boy was too young to die, and his mother was weeping beside her, hoping that everything would be OK.

It was not long afterwards that Jyoti could hand over the medical crew that arrived, and she was happy that the boy would survive because of hers and Mike's actions.

Adams mother was extremely grateful to both Mike and Jyoti, they had saved her sons life, and that meant more to her than anyone would ever know. She thanked them from the bottom of her heart as she and her family were escorted away to the hospital.

"It's OK... It's what we do best ... Saving lives ... We're a great team." Mike informed the woman.

He smiled at Jyoti, but was confused when a tear rolled down her cheek.

"What's wrong?" He queried.

She shook her head.

"Why didn't I see it before? I've been so blind, focussing on the bad events in my life. All I have to do to return to normality, is my job, what I'm best at, I need to go back to work for as long as I can, that's the only way I'll be able to be overcome the nastiness of the trial, the rape, and finally I can put it behind me."

Mike pulled her close as he could with his wet clothes and kissed her gently.

He knew that this was the one event that changed Jyoti's mind about herself, that it opened her eyes and now she was ready to return to normal.

Someone was kind enough to give Mike a towel to dry himself off, but his clothes were ruined and the only thing they could do was go shopping and buy a new set of clothes.

"Never did like you wearing black; I know it's part of your uniform, but I really don't like it when you wear black on your days off too." Jyoti smiled.

Together they walked off into town, Jyoti grinned as she led a soaking wet Mike into the local branch of Next. Quickly she found a pair of jeans, a red polo shirt and a smart but casual blue fleece jacket.

-o-o-o-

* * *

_**I would love to hear your thoughts... **_


	15. Chapter 15

**____****Mike Malonino**

**_Chapter 15_**

**_Thank you to all of you who took the time to review, and if I haven't said so... Thank you._**

**_A/N This chapter has Emily going into labour, I hope that this does not happen to anyone here, and if it does, I hope you have a Doctor like Caroline to help you out!_**

**_Warning: Contains Emergency surgery!_**

**_Enjoy more Mike!_**

* * *

Matt was in his lab, his collection of exotic plants was growing; he managed to procure quite a few rare ones too.

He had always loved making things grow from a seed. In the future, plants didn't grow as much as they did here and seeing these made his heart swell with pride. He smiled as his mobile phone rang.

"Em, great to hear from you, are you OK?" The next moment, his mouth fell open and his eyes went wide.

"I'll be there in a minute, I'll call Mike and Jyoti, try to get them to come back... No? What do you mean no? ... I know they're on their honeymoon and it's the only break they'll get for a while, but you need a doctor, and now!" Matt groaned. Emily was going into labour a week early. They had hoped Jyoti could be the one to deliver the baby and they had only just left on their holiday three days ago. To call them back now would mean cutting their holiday short and there would be no going back.

"You've called Caroline Lester? ... She's delivering the baby...? OK, I'm on my way to the infirmary."

Matt ran down the corridor past the hub and onto the elevator. He punched the button frantically and earned weird looks from those around him.

"What? Em's gone into labour!" He shouted at Becker and Jess, before punching the buttons on the elevator once more.

Matt stormed into the elevator as it opened, an astonished Lester stepped out. Looking at Jess, he shrugged and gestured a 'What's up with him?'

Jess smiled. "Emily's just gone into labour."

Lester rolled his eyes and disappeared into his office, this was the sign of things to come. Not only was everyone now joined in one way of another, the next generation was on its way. It had been for a while, with the birth of little Luke, next would be Matt and Emily's baby, maybe Mike and Jyoti's baby. (If they ever determined who the child belonged to, maybe it wasn't Mike's child at all.)

He looked up and sighed, and wondered what was taking Becker so long. He knew that the Captain and his daughter Jess were dating; they had been for ages, so why hadn't Becker asked her to marry him?

Lester sighed was he going to have to have another chat with his head of security?

-o-o-o-

* * *

Matt was shaking as the elevator doors opened he ran down the corridor towards the medical bay. Emily was already there with Dr Lester by her side.

She had seen and helped members of the time tribe give birth, and assisting with the deliveries had prepared her for her own time. She was fairly calm as Matt arrived, but soon she became worried.

"Matt... I should have told you about this before now, I can't do this." She panted.

"Of course you can Em, you can do this!" Matt encouraged.

"No... I mean like this... I wanted to be married before the baby was born, and now it's too late!" She twisted her head from side to side.

Matt racked his brains and then ran to a landline telephone. Quickly he pressed the numbers to Lester's phone extension.

Speaking to his boss quickly he made arrangements for the wedding. Next he ran to speak to Becker and Jess for them to join them. Jogging into his lab after speaking to his colleagues, he grabbed a pair of secateurs he reached for the pot to his beloved orchids. He winced, he had wanted to save these, but he could not have Emily go through this without any blooms in her hand.

Regretfully, he cut the single stem of five flowers that had bloomed recently. Taking the flowers he ran back to the infirmary where Jess and Becker were waiting.

Jess helped Emily brush her hair, and applied a little make-up. She made Emily look as presentable as possible in her nightdress.

Dr Lester checked Emily over.  
"You've got about fifteen minutes, twenty at the most before the baby really starts to come along." She informed them.

Emily winced as she stood up. She perched back in the bed, breathing through her contraction. She held the delicate flower in her hand, as she walked slowly up to stand by Matt's side, Jess walked behind her as her Matron of Honour.

She smiled demurely.

Matt sighed as she walked towards him. This was not how he would have liked to get married. He did not want a lavish affair such as Mike and Connor had done with their partners, but if he had a choice, he would not have wanted this either.

"Do we have a ring?" Lester questioned.

"Oh My God! No!" Matt exclaimed.

Caroline pulled off one of the many rings she wore on her right hand.

"You can use this until you get a proper one."

She gave the ring to Matt, who passed it to Lester.  
"Thank you Caroline! You're a life saver!"

"Do you Emily Merchant, take this man, Matthew Anderson to be your lawful wedded husband?"

"I do,"

"Matthew Anderson, do you take this woman, Emily Merchant to be your lawful wedded wife?"

"I do," he slipped the ring onto Emily's finger, the ring was slightly too large, and it did not need much effort sliding it onto her ring finger.

"I owe you one ring." He whispered.

-o-o-o-

Emily's mouth fell open as the next contraction tightened her belly. It sent shock waves through her and she almost collapsed.

Matt grabbed onto her elbow preventing her from falling to the floor, he picked her up, and carried her back towards the bed. Laying her down gently he looked at Caroline for an answer, for an explanation as to what was happening, why Emily was panting in this particular manner.

Caroline worked quickly; she attached various monitors to Emily, monitors that would not only tell her Emily's blood pressure and heartbeat, but the tiny baby's too.

She noticed that Emily's blood pressure was dropping; she saw the dark patch of blood that stained Emily's nightgown. Turning to the ultra sound machine quickly she was able to bring up a picture of the baby.

What she saw made her gasp and turning to Matt, she asked him a very important question.

"Matt, I need to work fast, the baby is getting distressed, it's in danger, the heart beats to both mother and child are very low, and I need to perform a caesarean section. Do I have your permission to continue?"

"Yes, whatever is necessary."

Caroline explained to Emily what she was going to do, unaware that Emily would react very differently.

Caesarean section frightened Emily. In the Victorian era, too many women died in childbirth, and although she had delivered many babies herself, she had also seen both mother and child die in the stages of childbirth. She was not familiar with the huge changes in medicine in this era and she was scared that she or the baby would die.

Matt listened with a sympathetic ear to her ramblings as Caroline administered an injection to numb the lower part of her body. He held her hand and reassured her that everything was going to be fine. It wasn't until they heard the baby cry that they realised that the baby had been born.

Crying from the baby was a good sign, and Caroline sighed as she unwound the umbilical cord from around the baby's neck. It was a miracle that the baby was still alive as the cord had been wrapped around the baby's neck five times.

She listened to the baby protest, knowing that with each scream, it was taking in a huge lungful of air. Quickly she clamped the cord and let Matt cut the life line between mother and child. Passing the child to Emily, removed the placenta and placed it on a tray to be examined later, then she began sewing Emily back up.

Emily was high on the effects of the injection and the adrenaline which coursed through her veins, she did not feel the initial incision, the baby's removal, or being stitched up afterwards. Although she was happy with the birth of her son, she was still fretting that something was going to go wrong, resulting in death for either herself, or her newborn son.

Matt could not help but smile, he was amazed at how everything was progressing. In his time childbirth had become rare, and he only recalled a handful of women who chose to have a child in the toxic atmosphere. He reassured her and stroked her hair; he leaned down to kiss the infant tenderly on the top of his head.

"I think we'll call him Adrian, Adrian Anderson, how does that sound?" Matt suggested.

Emily shook her head.

"How about Edward, my brother was called Edward." She proffered.

"I like it, but no..." Matt pondered for a moment, as he looked down at the baby in his arms. The little boy opened his blue eyes and seemed to stare at Matt. Matt soothed the small patch of hair on the little boy's head.

"How about Niall, Niall Edward Anderson, that way he's got your brother's name too."

Emily smiled at Matt's suggestion. Niall sounded like a lovely name.

-o-o-o-

* * *

The anomalies had grown quiet for a while, and Jyoti had finally returned to work. She seemed happier now that her future with Mike was mapped out clearly. She seemed happier with the idea of Samira looking after the baby after it was born and Mike did not disagree with this. She felt comfortable knowing that she would not have to keep the baby if the father was Tariq or Aamir.

Being Dr Jyoti Temple brought calmness to her troubled heart, and it gave her a sense of wellbeing. Her nightmares had ceased now that the thugs were behind bars and she felt at ease knowing that they would not be bothering her for some time.

She kept in touch with Samira. She would ring her friend regularly and she found out that Aamir had been a very controlling man and had not allowed her the freedom of keeping in touch with her friends and relatives. Jyoti finally understood why she had not returned any of her calls and messages; they were simply because Aamir had not passed them on.

Samira had left the house she shared with Aamir and had moved in with her father to look after him. During the move she had found a stack of letters that went back years from her friends and she found a few from her father that Aamir had not let her see. Samira had been livid with this and after speaking with her father, she had hired Vijay as her lawyer and she was filing for a divorce.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Jyoti texted Mike and asked him to meet him after work in the infirmary.  
Mike was puzzled at this and wondered why Jo had asked to see him in this manner.  
He strolled up to the medical bay, adjusting his jacket.

Entering the medical bay, he was surprised to see Jo on a bed with Dr Caroline Lester leaning over her.

"Jo! Are you alright?" Mike's face dropped, he thought something was seriously wrong.

It wasn't until he approached the bed that he saw the Ultrasound Machine.

Jo beamed; it seemed as if she was happier than she had been for ages. She reached for him and pointed to a chair beside her.

"Are you ready?" Caroline questioned.

"Yes," Jo nodded enthusiastically. She had been preparing herself for most of the afternoon by drinking lots if water. In fact she wondered if she had drunk too much water and that she might have to empty her bladder. But she had a feeling that if she went to the toilet now, she would not be able to help herself and that she would need to go properly.

Caroline smiled and squirted some lubricant onto Jo's belly. Placing the ultrasound wand onto her stomach she moved it around to get a picture.

"I overdid the full bladder didn't I? You can't get a clear picture."

"I'm afraid you're right; you're going to have to relieve some of the pressure. You know the rules... Off you go."

Sighing Jo cleared the cold jelly off her belly and walked swiftly to the nearest loo. Trying not to empty her bladder was near impossible, and how she managed it she would never know. But she was successful with her task and she returned to the medical bay soon afterwards.

She lay down on the bed once more and Caroline once again smeared the cold jelly onto her extended stomach. She was nearly sixteen weeks into her pregnancy, and knew that she needed to have this scan to ensure that the baby was growing normally.

This time the picture was clearer, and Jyoti beamed once more as she made out the bones, fingers and toes were clearly visible.

"Mike look, it's waving at you." She smirked.  
Mike was too astounded to make any coherent conversation. He gulped at the sight on the screen. After an age he spoke.

"It's fully formed, it's actually a proper baby, and you can even see the outline of its nose."  
He turned to her.

"Can you tell if it's a boy or a girl?"

Jo smiled.

"Give me a minute." She glanced at Caroline and knew that she had done her calculations and knew the sex of the baby. Nevertheless she did not ask Caroline, she knew what she was looking for.

"It's going to be a girl..." she whispered.

Mike looked at Caroline for confirmation and grinned when she nodded.

"I hope she's ours..." Jo whispered longingly.

"Hope... what a beautiful name..." Mike smiled; he didn't hear the sadness in her voice.

Caroline however knew she knew that Jyoti still had reservations about the child. Even though she knew that Samira was happy to adopt the baby should it not belong to Mike, she could not help her feelings of unhappiness, at the thought that the little girl was not Mike's daughter.

Once Dr Lester had completed everything she needed to do she gave Jyoti some tissues to wipe herself down, and helped her sit up on the bed.

"Are you still taking the Valium?" She questioned feeling concerned.

"No, I stopped taking them as soon as I found out I was pregnant."

"And your nightmares returned?"

"Yes, they did, for a while anyway, they've stopped now."

"When was your last nightmare?" Caroline asked.

"The last one was the night before the wedding." Jo replied.

"You didn't tell me about that..." Mike spoke as he wondered why she had not told him.

"What was it about Jo?" Caroline queried.

Jyoti clutched at Mike's hand. "I dreamt that I was wearing my Wedding dress, and I was waiting for you, and you didn't come." She sniffed. "That was my last nightmare. I haven't had any since we've been married."

Mike got up from his chair, and putting an arm around Jyoti he hugged her tightly. He kissed her forehead.

"You've not had any nightmares since then?" He smiled. At last she was able to move away from her horrible ordeal and now she could carry on.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike bounced on his knees as he showed his mother the picture of the Ultrasound scan. He grinned nonstop as he thought about the tiny babe that in his mind had already been named Hope.

Connor and Abby had not yet returned from work and Diane was giving little Luke his tea. The little boy was growing up fast, he was now three years old and soon he would be starting pre-school.

Luke bounced in his chair.

"Peas... Can I see?" He stood up in his chair and stretched out his little hand reaching for the picture Mike held in his hand.

Mike pointed to the picture as he showed him.

"Look, here's the baby."

"Can I hold baby?" Luke's little eyes twinkled in anticipation.

"Not yet, it's in Jo's tummy." Mike realised too late and now little beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

Jo turned around from her position at the sink, where she had been washing up.

"Is there a baby in there?" He pointed to Jyoti's extended stomach.

"Yes." Mike elongated the word wondering what he would ask next, Connor and Abby weren't even back and it was quite possible that he was going to ask some very embarrassing questions. He wasn't ready to answer them, not yet; Luke was only three, far too young to be told how the baby got there. More sweat beaded on his face and neck.

Jo bit her lip; even she began to worry about what the little boy was going to ask.

Luke looked at the plastic dinosaur in his hand and back up at his favourite uncle. His little brain began to tick and he could not help but ask the question that was on his mind.

"Has it got any toys in there?"

Jyoti merely smiled, her smile became wider and soon she was grinning.

Diane smiled slowly, she looked at Mike and her smile became a grin, she looked at Jo and then burst into laughter at the boys' most innocent question.

Mike snorted as his mother looked at him, he looked at Jo and could not help but burst out laughing. Even through his laughter he did not miss Jo's reaction. She was smiling, grinning even, but he felt saddened when she didn't let out the smallest of giggles. He longed to hear her laugh, how he missed her laughter, her giggles, even the ones she tried to smother that came out as a cross between a snort and a sneeze. He tired to think back to the last time he had heard her laugh, and sing... It had been Christmas, before she had been raped.

Now Mike felt that her ordeal had taken more than just her virtue, it had broken her spirit. He wondered how he could help her, he wanted the old Jyoti back, she was hidden somewhere and he wanted her back. He wanted to hear her laugh, he wanted to hear her sing, and he wanted her to hum her favourite tune.

-o-o-o-

* * *

_**A/N. The scene where Luke asks "Has it got any toys in there?" Is actually R/L.**_

_**Yes it actually happened to me and I was the one sweating!**_

_**Please remember reviews are love, and help feed the ever hungry muse.**_


	16. Chapter 16

**____****Mike Malonino**

**_Chapter 16_**

**_This is the last chapter ..._**

**_Enjoy Mike!_**

* * *

Mike had been in the armoury, he had been taking stock of the new EMD's that had been delivered, when his phone rang.

"Hey ... Jo..." Mike smiled, he had noticed her number on the screen and he looked forward to a lovely chat. He had wanted to tell her about the new male medic that was covering her maternity leave.

"Mike...? My water's have broken... Can you come over, right now?"

"Yeah, I'm coming..."

-o-o-o-

* * *

It took Mike a moment to sort himself out. He couldn't move or speak and he shook his head trying to clear his head and his thoughts.

Jo was only eight months pregnant? Surely it was too early she wasn't due until...

Matt shook him. "Everything OK, mate?" He queried.

"Jo's gone into labour..." He mumbled, the words he spoke not registering in his mind. "Surely it's too early for the baby to come along? She's only eight months?" He questioned.

"When's she due?

"30th September."

"Yeah... three day's time! Besides ... She's a doctor! If she's says she's in labour, then she's in labour, trust me, women know about these things!"

Mike gazed at Matt for a moment, and then as the enormity of the situation sank in, his mouth fell open and he began to run. Initially he ran towards the road, then realising he would need the car, he ran towards that instead.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Taking the motorway would have got him home in less than 10 minutes, but there were road works along this particular stretch of the motorway.

Mike racked his brains, He was supposed to be good at this, he had been the expert when it came to lifting cars and dodging police, surely he could do it now.

He weaved through the side streets trying to get home, and the short journey took almost twenty minutes longer than he expected. By the time Mike opened the front door to the flat, he was frantic. Jyoti, on the other hand, was ready; she was calm and collected. She knew exactly how much time was needed.

"I'm ready," she smiled as she pushed herself up from the chair she'd been sitting on.

"There are road works on the motorway. I'll find a different route to the hospital; I know I can do this. I'll get us there!" Mike panicked. "It's OK. Put your coat on and we'll get going."

"Mike ... It is twenty-four degrees out there! I don't need a coat!"

He blinked. "Course not,"

He huffed. "Shall we go?"

Jo smiled, nodded, and followed him out to the car.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Jyoti chose to sit in the back, she knew that sitting in the front was a bad idea, she couldn't comfortably get the seatbelt around her, and if they were involved in an accident, she could potentially loose the baby.

Mike tinkered with the satellite navigation system, before he gave up and relied on his knowledge of the area. In the back of his mind he knew he could do this, Mike Malonino would know exactly how to get his wife to the hospital in a matter of minutes, and he relied on his instincts to get them there.

"Let's go!" He grunted as he pulled away. He glanced in his rear-view mirror and caught Jo wincing as a contraction began. He noticed that she had breathed through it and it seemed as if she was the one who was handling this really well.

Mike drove round the corner faster than normal.

"Mike! Be careful! I want to reach the hospital in one piece; I don't want to be in an accident!"

"Sorry..." Mike took a deep breath and unconsciously he began mirroring her breathing pattern.

He tried to focus on the road ahead. "Damn!" Mike swore, as the traffic lights changed to amber and rather than stopping, he sped up, going through a red light.

Moments later he cursed himself again, as he heard the sound of a police siren behind him.

"No! This is not happening!" Mike shouted as he pulled over with the police car in front of him. He head butted the steering wheel in defeat.

"Mike, you didn't do anything stupid did you?" Jo moaned her contractions were becoming stronger and closer together.

Mike wound down the window and waited for the policeman to approach. The policeman looked familiar, wasn't he the one who had arrested Tariq and Aamir after Jyoti's rape?

"Good morning sir, are you aware that you went..." He stopped as Jyoti let out an ear-piercing scream. "Um..." he peered into the back where Jyoti sat writhing in agony.

"Dr Jo Patel?" He questioned.

"Yessss...!" Jyoti hissed panting loudly.

Mike became worried, she had been so cool and calm a moment ago.

"Officer - You have to help me!" Jo gasped for air, "I'm in labour, and we need to get to the hospital NOW!" She screamed, making the policeman gasp.

"And that's why you went through a red light!" The man's eyes widened, there was only one thing to do.

"Follow me closely sir, we'll get you there!" The policeman ran back to the patrol car, switching on the siren, he cleared a path for Mike to the hospital.

"Are you OK Jo?" Mike questioned nervously, her panting had stopped almost as quickly as it had started.

"I'm fine; I just didn't want you to get into trouble." She smiled briefly before another contraction caused her to wince. "I've just got us a clear path to the hospital!"

Mike smiled, if Jo hadn't screamed at the right moment, he would be getting a ticket right now; instead they had a police escort!

Mike ears began to ring from the sound of the siren, and absently he wondered if it was too loud for the baby's delicate ears.

Arriving at the hospital, he was surprised to see a team of doctors and nurses already waiting, the policemen had obviously been in touch via the radio and had cleared the way for them.

Jyoti had to pause as she climbed out from the car, she breathed through her contraction she had been timing each one and they were now just 5 minutes apart. The midwife behind her noticed her discomfort and eased her onto the gurney nearby.

"How far apart are your contractions?"

"Five minutes," she told her.

Quickly she was wheeled into the delivery suite, with Mike following closely behind.

"Mike!" Jyoti screamed suddenly. He turned to look and she grabbed his hand, squeezing it as hard as she could. "It's coming!"

"It's OK;" he cooed, he was calmer now that they had arrived. "We're at the hospital now, do as the midwife tells us, yeah?" He grasped her hand tightly, a lump in his stomach and his throat constricted painfully.

"I think I can see the top of the head." The midwife told them calmly.

Mike nodded and smiled at Jyoti. She looked exhausted, her face rosy and glistening from tiny beads of sweat that were formed across her forehead. Quickly he grabbed a towel, and soaking it in some water, mopped her brow.

"It's time Mrs Temple." She whispered. Jyoti let out a loud groan as the midwife urged her to push.

"I can see it." The midwife informed them calmly, Mike stood to the side of her felt her hand as she clenched his fingers. He almost gasped in pain as she pressed his knuckles together painfully.

"Once the head is out, it'll all happen very quickly." The midwife informed Jyoti, forgetting that she was a doctor and would know these things anyway.

Jyoti pushed as another contraction came, this time she knew just when and how hard to push. Suddenly there was a loud shriek – Hope Temple was making her presence known.

The midwife wrapped her in a towel and gave the scissors to Mike, for him to cut the cord.

Trembling, Mike scooped up the tiny infant and cradled it, gently rocking to and fro.

Mike held his daughter for an age, she was finally here!

He turned to Jo. "Hope Temple. She's Beautiful! I love you!" He kissed the tiny babe on the forehead.

Jyoti moved her arms away slightly. Her smile dropped, and she gulped as her nightmare resurfaced, and she faced the inevitable question... Whom did she belong to? Who was her father?

"Hope... Is there an Indian equivalent?" Mike smiled.

"Asha ..."

"Asha... It has a ring to it doesn't it – Asha Temple? Or should it be Hope Temple?" Mike grinned; he didn't hear the sadness in her voice.

Jo could not help the tear which slid down her face, and as Mike handed her over to her she began to weep, just as her own mother had done when she had been born. For a moment Jyoti let herself believe that the tiny babe belonged to Mike. That _he was_ her father.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Smiling Mike left the room to tell Matt, Connor, Abby, Emily and Diane the good news. That Asha Temple had finally been born.

He felt hands thumping him on the back in congratulations and good wishes passed his way. Then someone approached him from behind. It was the policeman who had helped him reach the hospital.

"Mr Temple, A little girl I hear?" The police officer questioned.

"Yeah," Mike grinned.

"Good, that's great news, and Mrs Temple? I trust she is OK too?"

"Yeah, she's fine. She's amazing." Mike could not stop grinning. He wanted to tell the world about his newborn daughter, and here was someone willing to listen.

"Good, that's good to hear." The policeman became serious all too quickly for Mike to remain ecstatic.

"Sorry to have to give you this today of all days, but..." the policeman held up a traffic violation ticket; and all because Mike had driven through a red light whilst driving to the hospital.

"Don't worry, all you'll have to do is attend this driving course for a morning and the charges will be dropped." The policeman smiled as he excused himself and walked off.

Mike groaned, after all that he still got a ticket for going through a red light.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike was returning from the shops, Jyoti had sent him out to buy some nappies, and a few baby grows.

He was surprised to see a number of cars outside his new home.  
Jyoti and Mike had bought a house not far from Connor, it was large enough, and had a separate annex for his mother to move into.

Jyoti liked the idea the Diane was nearby, it meant that she had a live in babysitter, and would have no problems when she went back to work.

Connor and Abby lived down the road, and the two brothers loved the fact that they would be able to see much more of each other.

Mike looked up at the five bedroom house, at times it looked like a mansion, and at other times, it looked like a normal three bed detached property.

He smiled as he noticed Vijay's sleek, black, sporty, BMW. He also noticed Suresh's car, as well as a few others; it seemed as if he was coming back to a full house. Now he understood why Jyoti had rung him on the mobile, and asked him to bring back a selection of cakes and biscuits.

He was walking up the driveway when Suresh opened the front door and stepped out. He told Mike to leave the bags in the doorway, and he escorted Mike to an object covered in Tarpaulin. He urged Mike to help him take off the cover and together, they revealed a sports car, similar to Vijay's in vibrant red.

Mike's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He had always wanted a car like this, it was the car of his dreams, and he gulped before he started to drool. He opened the door and checked the interior; it was exactly the same as Vijay's with all the mod cons, including the keyless ignition.

"Wow! What a car! Whose is it?" He walked around the car and now he looked at the number plate and realised who the super car was for. M1 KE could only belong to one person.

"I'm sorry Suresh; I couldn't possibly accept this from you. It's ..." Mike could not put into words what he needed to say.  
Vijay heard him talking to his father-in-law, and now he approached.

"You know, this is just a gift you know, it's not Dowry," Vijay told him.

"I'm still sorry Suresh; I can't accept it from you."

"Look, I would have given this car to any man whom Jyoti had married, it's just a gift." Suresh informed him.

"You don't understand, it's not the car, it's super, but I just can't accept a sports car, you see," he paused trying to choose his words carefully.

"I'd love to have this car, I really would, but I need a family car, with the little one now, I'd need somewhere to put little 'uns car seat. I wish I'd have had a car like this when I was younger, but I'd like to think I'm a family man now, quite a happy one at that too."

Suresh smiled; maybe another type of car was needed here.

"I'll have it sent back then, but you won't say no to a larger BMW, one for the whole family?"

Mike forced a smile, how he hated extravagant gifts such as this. But to keep Jo and her father happy he would accept this one gift, and he would ensure it was only the one!

-o-o-o-o-

* * *

Together the three men began to walk back to the house when Caroline and James Lester pulled up. Caroline walked to the rear of her car and pulled out some equipment.

Mike's heart sank, he realised why everyone was here now. Caroline was going to do the DNA test today, and she was going to, test little Asha's blood to determine the father. In contrast to what he had been feeling beforehand, a dull and familiar ache began in his chest. The ache that came with the fact, that the sweet little girl might not be his.

He led everyone inside, and whilst Caroline set up her equipment, he went through to the dining room and opened the French doors. He provided the blood sample that Caroline needed for her test, and his heart broke, when Caroline pricked the tiny baby's foot to draw some blood.

Once Caroline had finished putting a plaster on little Asha, he took the babe, wrapping her in her blankets, he took her outside, and he sat on one of the garden chairs, holding the little babe who, in such a short time, had become the centre of his world.

He had noticed Samira, standing in a corner, she was clad in her burkha, something which Mike detested, and he fervently hoped that she did not share DNA with either Tariq or Aamir. The fact that his daughter could grow up and have to wear one of body covering gowns tore his soul apart.

He held her close, as tightly as he could and at one point became scared that he could crush her to death. He loved her so much. He blocked out everything going on inside, fearful that the little babe was going to be snatched from him at any moment.

-o-o-o-

* * *

A moment later Jyoti and Samira came outside.

"Can Samira hold her?" Jyoti asked politely.

"No..." Mike shook his head, the ache in his heart grew, it took hold of his heart and refused to let go.

"Mike! You're being unreasonable." Jyoti admonished.

He took the small infant in his arms back inside. He didn't want to know the results to the paternity test.

If he didn't know, then he would not have to give the babe up. He would not have to send her away.

He absently heard Vijay speaking as he typed.

"The child, named Asha Temple, whose birth mother is Dr Jyoti Patel, is fathered by ..." Vijay paused to check Caroline's paperwork. "Mister ... Michael ... Temple." He typed up the official paperwork.

Mike couldn't believe what he had just heard. The little babe in his arms was his. Caroline had completed her DNA testing, and she was his.

He closed his eyes and asked Vijay to repeat himself, Mike trembled waiting for Vijay to speak.

"The child, named Asha Temple, whose birth mother is Dr Jyoti Patel, is fathered by Mister Michael Temple."

For an age the whole world stood still, or rather it seemed to stop as Mike digested the information he had heard.

Happy tears began to roll slowly down his cheeks. The ache in his heart was replaced by one of sheer joy. He leaned down to kiss the tiny infant in his arms, wanting to believe this moment was real. Very gently he kissed the top of her head, and felt her hair as it caressed his face. Slowly, very slowly he turned to face Jyoti.

His eyes met hers across the crowded room and everyone else seemed to melt away. It was just the little babe, Jyoti and him. He saw her smile that seemed to light up the room, ever so slowly she began to laugh, tears rolled down her cheeks as she did so.

The sound of her laughter felt like music to his ears. Months had gone by where he had longed for this one moment, when she would laugh just as she used to. Closing the distance between them he hugged Jyoti, and he didn't even notice when someone took the baby from his arms so that he could hug Jo properly.

Vaguely he noticed figures walking past him into the garden, and when the room fell silent he leaned down to kiss Jyoti, his lips met hers with a passion that they had never allowed themselves to feel. Finally their nightmare was over and he had not just his wife, but his daughter too.

"Give us a shout when you've finished snogging my sister! Some of us have work to do." Vijay called from the garden.

Jyoti giggled, trust her cousin to break up this perfect moment.

"Where's Asha?" Mike pondered.

"Sam's got her; she only wants to hold her before she has to go home. She's actually pleased that Asha's yours. She never wanted her to be fathered by Aamir or Tariq. It would have put a strain on our friendship." Jyoti looked up at Mike pulling away slightly.

"It is OK for me and Samira to remain friends isn't it? You wouldn't feel awkward would you?"

"I think I would, but it would be nice if the two of you could still be friends. Just tell me when she's coming round, and I'll make myself scarce." Mike grinned.

Jyoti understood what he was saying, he did not want them to stop meeting, and he just didn't want their past to get in the way. Sam didn't belong to him and that was that. He had the woman he wanted in front of him... Jyoti.

-o-o-o-

* * *

Mike was clearing up in the kitchen after their evening meal. He whistled softly as he worked. He was pleased with the result that he was Asha's father. Somehow he had known all along that he was the father, he had never doubted it for a minute. He had been even more pleased when Jo told him that Sam would not be fighting them for custody.

Jo had told Mike of her conversation with Samira, how her husband had been found in his cell. Aamir had torn up his bed sheets and made a noose with which to hang himself, Tariq had stopped meeting with him stopped talking to him and he blamed Aamir for everything that had gone wrong in his life. Aamir finding himself totally alone for the first time in his life could no longer live with what he had done.

Jyoti had been shocked by this revelation by Sam, but her childhood friend had simply smiled. She was pleased that she no longer had to face the Aamir again. Her father was also helping her find happiness again, and she had been introduced to a man who had recently been widowed, the man called Ali, had a very young daughter, barely six months old and he needed someone his child could call mum. If all went well there was a possibility that she could be married again next year.

Initially Jyoti was worried, what if this man turned out to be as abusive as Aamir? Sam had smirked, there was no way anybody could be as bad as Aamir, the man had been the bane of her life and now she was free to move on.

Mike had been pleased to hear this news, at least Samira was moving on too, and at least she sounded happy.

He smiled to himself as he prepared a mug of Fennel tea Jyoti had requested. Apparently it was good for her and stimulated her body to produce more milk. He brought the mug under his nose and smelled the contents. He pulled a face as the unpleasant smell assailed his nostrils. At least he wasn't drinking it.

Carefully he took it to her in their bedroom where she was feeding their daughter. He stopped as he approached, his mouth fell open and he almost stumbled and dropped the mug in his hands.

Jyoti was breast feeding Little Asha and whilst the tiny babe suckled at her breast, she was singing gently.

_"Humee tuhmse pyaara kitna, yeah hum nahin jaanetey, mugaar jee nahin saaktey, tumhaare bina_..."

_'I don't know how much I love you; all I know is that I can't live without you.'_

Finally, the Jo he knew and loved was back. It had taken a very long time, and all this time he had waited patiently. He had waited for her to overcome all her difficulties regarding the rape, and he had supported her as best he could. He recalled how sometimes even he couldn't bear hearing her moan at night. But now, her nightmares had stopped, she had been back at work, her smile had returned and today with the news of Asha's paternity she had laughed with him and now she was singing to his child.

Mike smiled as he walked into the bedroom to give her the tea. He set the mug down on the drawers beside her and gently he leaned down and kissed his daughter's temple. Sitting on the edge of the bed he leaned over and kissed his wife.

He put his arm around Jo and waited for her to finish feeding. He smiled at his own small happy family, and then thought about his life.

His beginning being seperated from his birth mother, having to grow up in an orphanage, finding friends, going through a rough patch and then finally finding his brother, mother, and then the rest of his extended family. He had found true love, and now he had a proper family. For once in his life, he was happy at the way things had turned out.

* * *

_**The End.**_

**That was Mike's story, and I hope you enjoyed that incredible journey, into his past and then into the present.**

**That was the last in the 'Saving the World" series of stories. I may add to them in the future but for the moment this is the end.**

**I would like to thank**

YouHaveLovelyHair, Tell Me More 90, Saden Becker, Rubytronix, Prawn Crackers, Mousey Jane, Mijo 54, juls 124, Invisible Blade, and Auntieneenah.

Thank you so much for sticking with me throughout this journey.


End file.
